


The Last Time

by inkahgase



Series: The Last Time [1]
Category: GOT7
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Divorce, Eventual Smut, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 08:10:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 23,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22328407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkahgase/pseuds/inkahgase
Summary: Mark always thought that the love you both shared was invincible until you uttered the four words that were sure to break him. Now, he just had thirty days — thirty days to turn it around or let it all go. Can Mark get you to love him one last time?
Relationships: Mark Tuan/You
Series: The Last Time [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2025949
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	1. The Dreaded 'D' Word

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that this is pure fiction and I don't have any legal knowledge about how divorce works.

Mark crossed the threshold of your home, far later than he had anticipated. With a potential client that could bring in large capital to his company, he had been working like a dog, day and night to make sure that they would be prepared for whatever the potential client required. The responsibility meant less hours at home, but that wasn’t any different to how it had been the past few years, so he thought nothing of it.

Until he spotted you on the dining table, holding a glass of wine in your hand and an emotion that he didn’t recognise on your face.

Carefully, he padded over to where you sat and planted a soft kiss on your temple before heading over to the fridge to grab himself a bottle of water. Leaning on the counter, he gulped a quarter of it down before looking in your direction, just as you polished off the last of your wine.

Standing up, you moved towards the kitchen sink, brushing past him to wash your glass and put it away. Once you’d closed the shelf, you stood across from him, leaning your body on the other end of the counter.

Mark sighed and placed his bottle on the stone bench. “I’m sorry that I’m late, it’s been hell at the office—”

“_I want a divorce_,” you blurted out, no longer able to keep it in.

“What?”

With quivering lips and hands busy clutching the hem of your night shirt, you tried again. “Mark, I want a divorce.”

Mark heard you the first time, his heart shattering to little pieces. He was sure he stopped breathing. _This couldn’t be happening_, he thought as he begged himself to wake up from this nightmare. But, you repeated yourself and he knew that this was now his reality. “Why?”

Looking heavenward, you begged for the strength to go through with this and for your tears to not betray you. “Mark, we’ve been married for five years but we both know that the last few haven’t been the same,” you explained. “We’re drifting further and further apart each day. Our marriage is so cold and lonely. I feel like a stranger in our own home.”

Gripping the counter tight, Mark knew that you were right. He had been feeling the exact same way as you but he thought that you would both find a way to get yourselves back. Never in a million years did he think you both would end up where you were. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he forced himself to ask you the question. “Is there someone else?”

“No, there isn’t. I could never… I just — I can’t do this anymore, Mark. I know it’s shit and I know it’s not just your fault, but this is where we’re at and this is what I want.”

“Well, I can see that you’ve made up your mind and that there isn’t really anything I can do about it, so I’ll give you what you want. What do you need me to do?”

Mark was _wrong_, there were plenty of things he could do to stop your marriage from ending but you knew that this was where the conversation would lead. You didn’t know whether you wanted to thank him for making this easy or curse him for not trying harder. “I made an appointment with Jaebeom at lunchtime tomorrow. I need you to show up.”

With a nod, he agreed to your terms and watched you make your way to the bedroom with longing eyes. Once you shut the door behind you, Mark slid to the floor and buried his face into his hands as sobs wracked his body. For hours he mourned the loss of your love, before picking himself up from the floor and heading to bed.

* * *

“Are you sure about this?” Jaebeom asked, as he looked through the paperwork.

“We’re sure,” you replied and Mark offered his friend a tight smile.

With a sigh, Jaebeom flicked the folder shut and leaned back in his chair. Clasping his hands together, he studied his best friends who now seemed like two strangers sitting in front of him, wondering what happened to the two people who used to love each other more than life itself. “Are you really sure?”

“Jaebeom, we’re sure,” Mark replied to appease you. “Now that we’ve discussed the coming settlement, is there anything else that we need to do?”

“Actually, there is. I can put through the paperwork today no issues, but there is a thirty day cooling off period.”

“A cooling off period?” you asked. “What does this mean?”

“The law states that you must remain married for the next thirty days and remain under the same roof,” Jaebeom advised and watched your expression fall. “Once this goes through, there is no turning back. They just want to make sure that you’re making the right decision.”

“There’s no getting out of this?” you questioned and Jaebeom shook his head. “If Mark is okay with it then I’m okay with it. I don’t want to put him in an even more uncomfortable position.”

Mark smiled gently at you. “I’ll be okay,” he assured you. 

“It’s settled then,” you got up and gave Jaebeom a quick hug goodbye before turning to Mark. “I’ll see you at home?”

Mark smiled wistfully; you still called the house your home. “I’ll see you then.”

Once you walked out of Jaebeom’s office and were well out of earshot, Mark turned to face his friend with raised brows. “What are you playing at?” he asked him.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Jaebeom answered with a smug smirk.

“That thirty day cooling off period is bullshit and you know it.”

“It is, but I had to do something since I knew you wouldn’t.”

“Jaebeom, this is what she wants,” Mark sighed as he rubbed his face.

Jaebeom scoffed, “this is not what she wants and you know it.”

Mark looked away from his friend, but couldn’t stop his tears from escaping. Jaebeom was right, this wasn’t what you wanted and Mark knew that. He just wasn’t sure if he deserved your love back. “I don’t know if I can fix it,” he cried out.

Jaebeom stood and walked over, crouching down to Mark’s level and placing his hands on his friend’s shoulders. “You are the only one that can fix this,” Jaebeom assured him. “I know you can and she knows you can. That’s why she’s worried about this cooling off period. I’ve given you a shot and you need to take it.”

Thankful for his friend, Mark nodded and vowed that he wouldn’t waste this chance. 

_Thirty days_. He wasn’t sure if it was possible but he was willing to find out.


	2. Like We Used To

To say you were surprised was an understatement.

If the past few years of your marriage was anything to go by, what you came home to was a rare sight. It had been such a long time since Mark had arrived home before you did and a long time since he had cooked a meal for you, so you put a great deal of effort in keeping your sadness about the impending end of your marriage hidden away in the furthest corner of your mind. 

You would do anything in your power to ensure that you wouldn’t ruin his efforts for tonight. Your marriage to him might be ending, but there was no need to be completely heartless towards him in the remaining time you had to spend with each other. 

“What’s all this?” you asked with a smile as you took off your shoes and hung up your coat. “It smells amazing.”

“Mom’s Carbonara,” Mark turned to smile at you — _of course he would cook your favourite dish._ “It’s almost done. I was hoping that this would be okay?”

“More than okay,” you replied. “I’ll go ahead and set the table for us.”

Another surprise greeted you as the dinner progressed. Apart from the meal being far more delicious than you remembered, you found yourself conversing with Mark in a way that you hadn’t for a long time. With the conversation flowing well, there was no awkwardness to be found, considering the events of the previous day.

However, one way or another, the elephant in the room needed to be addressed.

Once Mark had polished the food off of his plate, the mood in the room turned somber. With keen eyes, you watched as he sat there, gaze lowered to his hands that were running up and down his thigh — a telltale sign of his anxiety. A part of you wanted to reach out and comfort him, your hand almost crossing the length of the table before you could stop yourself, but you knew better than to give him a false sense of security.

With a sigh, your hand reached for your glass instead, finishing your wine before asking, “What's on your mind, Mark?”

Eventually, Mark looked up, his anxious eyes meeting your comforting ones. Taking a deep breath, he took courage in your gaze and voiced what he needed to. “I know that we’re already divorcing,” he paused, trying to calm his breathing. “But, I was wondering if it was okay for us to try and make the next few weeks as amicable as possible, because even though I’m losing you as my wife, I didn’t want to lose you as my friend.”

As his words struck home in your heart, making themselves comfortable there, you had to fight the urge to burst into tears right across from him. Of course, Mark was right. Before the both of you agreed to leap into what was meant to be a lifelong commitment, you had been friends for at least a decade — far longer than the amount of time you had spent married to each other.

There was no doubt in your mind that the divorce would tear your hearts to shreds, but that didn’t mean that you had to completely lose each other in the process. Certainly, it could take years before you were ready to be Mark’s friend again but you were sure that he was still going to be an integral part of your life, one way or another.

“I don’t have any issues with that,” you smiled wistfully.

“If that’s the case, I was wondering how far you’d let me push it,” Mark laughed then and you couldn’t help but join him. You should’ve seen this coming.

“As long as I can have more wine, we can see how far I’d let you push.”

Dutifully, Mark stood to grab another bottle from the fridge, complying with your request in the hopes that you would with his. Brushing past you as he headed back to his seat, your hand reached for his again, silently offering for him to take the seat next to you instead. Surprised, he sat down as you wanted, then grabbed his glass and filled it, along with yours.

“My first request is for us to still sleep in the same bed,” Mark declared, hesitation ebbing away with the help of some liquid courage.

“Well, that’s a given unless you plan on sleeping in the spare room,” you retorted playfully as you sipped your wine.

“I guess that one was easy compared to this next request,” Mark chuckled before turning serious. “If it’s okay with you, I want us to try and do some of the things that we used to do.”

“Consider my curiosity piqued. What does this mean exactly?”

“Over our last few weeks together, I’d like it if we were able to spend time with each other like we used to. Things like movie night and cooking night… oh, and let’s not forget games night. I just— I just want to experience them again for the last time.”

Looking up to his hopeful eyes was your first mistake, you realised that. It was swiftly followed by your second, when you found yourself wanting to agree with him. This was a dangerous situation to be in but for once, you wanted to be selfish.

These were the things that you should have already been doing and had missed out on for various reasons over the course of your marriage. _Was it wrong to want to feel loved and cherished, just for you to lose everything at the end?_

Maybe.

But, if you missed the chance to finally be happy after not knowing the feeling for so long, you knew that you would regret it for all of eternity. Even if the happiness would only be for a few weeks at best. 

“I don’t have any issues with that,” you answered him and quickly added, “as long as you know that I still want that divorce. Mark, I don’t want you to get your hopes up.”

_Too late_, Mark thought to himself. “I know, I understand that part. I won’t get my hopes up, I promise.”

_Mark always was a terrible liar… but so were you._


	3. The Vow

Unbeknown to you, Mark had taken a few days off of work to come up with a plan. Wanting to change the fate of his marriage, he had to find a way to gather the information he needed, knowing that you wouldn’t give them to him willingly.

Laughing bitterly to himself, he couldn’t believe that he had to conduct research on you — _his own wife_. Someone he considered his best friend and soulmate. You were someone he had known for a very long time — knowing you even more than you knew yourself — and it only took a couple of busy years with your careers to eradicate all of that knowledge.

With a heavy heart, Mark took the first step, observing your every waking moment to remember your routines. Breakfast routine, dinner routine, bedtime routine and the like. In the span of a few days, he started to understand what you meant about feeling like a stranger in your own home.

When Mark attempted to coexist his morning routine with yours like before, the encounter was awkward to say the least. This was particularly obvious the other morning when you both found yourselves in your ensuite and you couldn’t even undress in front of him — _your own husband_ — anymore.

Mark thought about it and for the life of him, he couldn’t even remember the last time that you were both _intimate_ with each other. What hurt more was the realisation that this awkwardness began way before you even brought up the divorce.

How could the both of you let this go on for so long?

* * *

The end of the working week had come along and Mark had taken another day off work to finish up his research, even though his work at the office was piling up. At that moment, the impending divorce demanded more of his attention than any potential client for his business. As soon as you walked out the door that morning, Mark headed up to the attic where he knew all the answers would be.

Grabbing two familiar looking boxes, Mark hauled them down to his makeshift office in the house, to look through. With a sigh, he paced the room, trying to pluck up courage to open them. Relenting, he ran over to his liquor cupboard underneath his desk, taking out the bottle of whiskey that he usually consumed when situations like this called for it.

With the burning liquid coursing through his veins, Mark picked up the first box — _the red one_. Remembering that red was your favourite colour, he guessed that the memories that held the most importance to you would be in there. Lifting the lid, he was proven right when he found a familiar wooden crate in it. Carefully, he picked up the crate and placed it on his desk before deciding to move on to the other.

Reaching for the second box, Mark carried it to the middle of the room and spilled the contents all over the floor once he’d sat down. Just as he expected, the box was filled with photos upon photos of your life together; memories that you both buried deep in the back of your minds. After hours of reminiscing and shedding tears about each photograph, Mark picked out his three favourites before shoving the rest back in the box.

The first picture was a gift from Jaebeom and was easily Mark’s favourite out of the three. Jaebeom had sneakily snapped a shot of you and Mark at a college party — one from even before the two of you had started dating. The love that was blooming between you was obvious through the joy that exuded from the picture.

In the photo, Mark looked at you like you had hung the stars in the sky; his smile portraying pure happiness. You were sitting on his lap, arm around his shoulders, with your head leaning back from laughing at something he had said. Mark knew then, that you were the only one that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. 

Studying the second photo, Mark remembered that it was one that you had taken yourself, during the celebration of your sixth month anniversary. That day, Mark had taken you out for a drive and a picnic by the river. Sitting on the mat, you settled between his legs as you leaned back against his chest. Mark had his arms wrapped around you, occasionally dropping kisses on your cheek and on your temple. 

Eventually, you suggested taking a photo to commemorate the occasion. Putting your phone camera on selfie mode, you held the shutter button down for it to take a burst of photos. Taking advantage of the opportunity, you turned to face him and told him that _you loved him_, for the first time. A look of pure elation with a hint of surprise filled Mark’s features and delight was evident on your face, since your plan had worked.

Mark had been so happy that the moment was caught on camera as he had always wanted to remember that particular feeling. It was especially significant now that the feeling had been missing for awhile.

The last photo was from your wedding day, one that Mark had taken this time, during a break from the photography session between the ceremony and the reception. The session was held in a beautiful field of flowers — one of your favourite places to be — and you had wanted to have some time to enjoy your surroundings before finishing up. Mark remembered it as clear as day.

> _With the biggest smile on your face, you took your heels off and handed your bouquet to your Maid of Honour as you grabbed Mark’s hand, dragging him to run across the field with you. Laughter filled the open air as you both lost yourselves to that moment._
> 
> _“How do I look?” you asked, posing a few metres in front of him._
> 
> _Mark took his time to observe you, trying to find the right words to answer your question. You were breathtakingly beautiful. The sun was setting behind you, creating a warm and golden hue around your figure. The cool breeze lifted your veil into the air along with some loose strands of your hair that had come out from your updo. With eyes crinkling from the smile you directed at him, Mark knew that you had never looked more beautiful._
> 
> _Fishing his phone from his pocket, he snapped a shot of you to keep for himself. “You look incredible,” he answered as he headed towards where you stood, cupping your face in hands once you were within reach. “I am the luckiest and happiest man to ever walk this Earth. I love you.”_
> 
> _“I love you,” you echoed his confession before leaning up to meet his lips in a loving kiss._

Back to reality, Mark touched his lips as he tried to remember what it was like to have the feeling of your lips on his. It had been such a long time since you last shared a kiss that he had almost forgotten what it felt like. How could he go without kissing you for so long?

Just as Mark thought that he had wasted enough of the day wallowing in his sorrows, his attention was brought back to the wooden crate that was still on the desk, taunting him. Trembling fingers glided on the oak surface until they reached their destination. Sighing, he lifted the lid. 

Like he thought it would be, the wooden crate was filled to the brim with folded papers. _Letters_. Handwritten ones that he had given to you during the course of your relationship. From ones that he’d written as your secret admirer to ones that he had written once you started dating; continuously expressing his love for you. Mark was a man of very few words, but that apparently didn’t apply on paper. 

Reading through a couple of the letters, he laughed, cried and cringed at the words he shared with you. Grabbing the letter that was right at the bottom, Mark was shocked to find out that it was his vows that he’d written for your wedding day. His eyes glided through the words — promises that he had made to you — serving as a reminder of the love that he still had in his heart for you. 

> _“My love,_
> 
> _I vow to fiercely love you in all your forms, now and forever. I promise to never forget that this is a once in a lifetime love. And to always know in the deepest part of my soul that no matter what challenges might carry us apart, we will always find our way back to each other.”_

_A once in a lifetime love_. Of course, how could he have forgotten?

Mark clutched his vows close to his chest, allowing his words to seep back into his heart. His words found home, strengthening his resolve to make everything right again. To make you love him again. Making a new vow, he promised to show that he deserved you, thus helping you remember your own promise to him. 

> _“...to live within the warmth of your heart and always it call it home.”_

Mark vowed to help you find your way back home to him.


	4. Sunday Morning

A new week began, carrying more surprises with it.

The first occurred on Sunday morning, as you stretched your arm across the bed as you woke, finding nothing but the cold and empty sheets.  _ That’s unusual _ , you thought. Sitting up abruptly, you quickly rubbed the sleep away from your eyes, letting them roam around your bedroom in search of your husband to no avail.

_ Where was he? _

Something was definitely amiss considering Mark was never up before you — especially on a Sunday. Grabbing the hoodie that was draped by your dresser chair, you quickly pulled it on and washed up so that you could try and figure out what was going on.

You had no idea what you would find when you headed downstairs towards the kitchen, but you definitely weren’t expecting a shirtless Mark, standing there in all his glory, cooking up a storm for breakfast. As he remained unaware of your presence, you shut your gaping mouth and took the opportunity to shamelessly check him out — he was still your husband after all.

His arms were a lot bigger and his back was much broader than you remembered. A quiet swear slipped from your lips when he turned to place plates on the table, his chiseled abdomen and toned chest greeting you.  _ Had he been putting on extra time at the gym? _ Or was it simply the fact that you hadn’t seen him like this in so long? Was that why he seemed different than what you remembered?

With a sigh, you headed over to where he was.

Finally sensing your presence when he heard you sigh, Mark looked up with a smile, ready to greet you good morning. Though it didn’t last long, changing to a look of awe as soon as he spotted you. It turned out that you weren’t the only one in for a surprise that morning.

Mark wasn’t sure what he was expecting when you came downstairs, but he definitely wasn’t expecting to see you in nothing but his hoodie, paired with some barely there shorts.  _ Fuck, what a beauty _ . You were just as gorgeous as he remembered. Standing straighter, he could only stare and nod when you asked if he wanted a coffee; his voice nowhere to be found.

Without shame, he stood idly by and watched his hoodie ride up your body as you tried to reach for both of your mugs from the cupboard, revealing your soft skin underneath inch by inch. How he wished he could feel you beneath his fingertips, but he knew that he would have to earn that right again. Smiling, Mark appeared right behind you, feeling you stiffen against him as he easily grabbed that cups that you were after.

Knowing all too well what you would be faced with when you turned back around, you took a deep breath to steel yourself. Of course, it was of no use to you because to this day, Mark’s presence affected you to no end. You always thought that the feeling would wear off the longer you were together, but it only seemed to get stronger.

“Thank you,” you exhaled, gaze locking with his. You couldn’t look away even if you wanted to, his hard stare keeping you in place. It was especially hard to do so with him standing so close that you would have been able to feel his skin against yours, if it wasn’t for his hoodie shielding you. “Thank you for getting the cups and for breakfast.”

“No problem,” Mark breathed out, before shutting his eyes and forcing himself to walk away from you. The act consumed all of his strength especially when he wanted nothing more than to gather you in his arms and kiss you like his life depended on it. “Shall we eat out on the patio today?”

The sadness you felt as you watched him turn his back on you and walk away was something you never thought you’d have to experience. With your marriage due to end in a couple more weeks, you knew it was something you needed to grow accustomed to. “Sure. Let’s do it.”

After breakfast, you found yourselves sitting on the swing on your front porch, watching the morning go by. Quietly observing different people as they went about their day.

“Have you got anything planned today?” Mark’s voice broke through the silence.

“Nelyn wanted to do some last minute shopping for the big day,” you smiled at him, before finishing off the last of your coffee. “Is that okay?”

“When have you ever needed my permission?” he chuckled as you playfully smacked his arm.

“You know that’s not what I meant. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t have anything planned that I would miss out on, that’s all.”

Mark smiled this time. “That’s very kind of you,” he replied with a quick pat on your hand. If he were being honest, your outing was a blessing in disguise, considering he needed more time to plan the next few weeks, and wanted you out of the house so that you would remain unaware of it. “Nothing planned. Off you go.”

Wanting to thank him, you turned and placed a chaste kiss on the corner of his mouth. Mark’s eyes widened before closing, restraining himself for the second time today.

“I’m gonna go ahead and get ready. Do you need anything while I’m out?”

“Just for you to come back,” Mark blurted without thinking, surprising both of you.

Giving his hand a gentle squeeze in reassurance, you stood up and made your way back inside your home.

If only he knew that you would always come back to him,  _ if only he asked _ .


	5. Tough Love

The bell at the door of the cafe announced your arrival and Nelyn whipped around in her seat to wave you over to where she was. As you sat down, you noticed your favourite drink and your favourite chocolate cake already waiting for you.

“Is it smart to be eating cake before going lingerie shopping for your honeymoon?” you teased, just as Nelyn placed a piece of her own cake in her mouth.

“It’s fine since we’re not actually lingerie shopping today,” Nelyn replied as she munched on her cake. “This meeting is about you.”

“About me?” you asked curiously.

“Yes,” she sighed, putting her fork down on the small plate. “Why are you divorcing Mark?”

With a sigh, you forked a chunk from your cake and shoved it in your mouth to avoid answering her question. But Nelyn was ever so patient, waiting with narrow eyes for you to finish. Knowing there was no way you’d get out of answering her, you thought you could at least delay it by asking her a question of your own. “Who ratted me out?”

“Is that even a question? Of course Jaebeom spoke to Jinyoung and Jinyoung informed me, like you should have, as my friend.”

“Surely I can sue Jaebeom for a breach of confidentiality or something?” you snorted.

Grabbing your hand, Nelyn patted it sarcastically. “Sweetie, Jaebeom is your lawyer. He would never agree to suing himself.”

“I should fire him.”

“Yes!” she exclaimed. “A great idea so that you won’t have to divorce Mark!”

“Wrong,” you replied. “I’ll just have to find a new lawyer and then I would still divorce Mark.”

Nelyn threw you a hard stare and set her jaw. Crossing her arms, she leaned back in her seat, scrutinising you like she always did when she was about to scold you. Prompting you to be prepared with just a raise of her brow, you grabbed your drink and took a sip, just as she silently ordered. You’ve barely placed the cup back on the table before she pounced on you.

“Why?” she asked simply and you were in trouble. _How could one word bring you close to tears already?_

“It’s not the same anymore,” you sighed, staring at the table, too scared to look at your friend.

“So?” she laughed sarcastically. “Relationships are constantly changing, whether it’s small or large and you knew this already. You need to come up with a better excuse. Try again.”

Tears began to stream down your face. Nelyn was right. She always was. “It’s different this time,” you tried to explain through your sobs. “I… it feels like he doesn’t love me anymore.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. Mark loves you more than life itself,” she chided and based on her tone, she wasn’t done drowning you with her tough love. “Those excuses are lame as fuck. _Try again__._”

“You’re wrong,” you countered as best you could. “If he still loved me, he wouldn’t have agreed to this divorce so easily—”

“Mark agreed because he will always give you what you want — whatever will make you happy. But you are a terrible liar since you already know that you would be miserable without him.”

“That’s not true—”

“You and Mark have been together for over a decade and this is not the first time that you have gone through a rough patch,” Nelyn reminded you before delivering her final blow. “I have never known you as a quitter. So, why are you giving up now?”

She might as well have slapped you on the face — her question instantly sobering you up. She was right. _Again_. Your relationship with Mark was never perfect and you loved that fact the most because it meant that your love was _real__._ The journey may not have been a smooth one, but you both always came out stronger and better as a couple.

_So, why were you giving up now?_

“I’m scared,” you finally admitted to her. “I’m scared that I’m right — that he doesn’t love me anymore. At least not the way that he used to. I was scared that I was losing him. He’d never been so far away from me before. I’m scared that I’m not enough to bring him back.”

Finally understanding you, Nelyn took both of your hands into hers, squeezing them gently to try and comfort you. “Trust me when I say this,” she pleaded. “You’ve woken him up. Mark knows how you feel now and just like you, he’s scared. But you know that he isn’t going to give up. So, you shouldn’t either.”

“I hope you’re right,” you replied, squeezing her hands back as a sign that you would heed her words.

After spending the rest of the day with Nelyn, you arrived home much later than you anticipated. Walking through your home, you spotted Mark on the couch, playing some video games. The look of pure concentration on his face made you smile as you remembered all the times that you would spend reading next to him as he played.

His loud sigh broke you from your reverie, and you saw that the screen had turned black with red angry letters telling him that he wasn’t victorious that time. Smiling, you walked over to the back of the couch, giggling when Mark flinched as you placed your hands on his shoulders to give him a quick massage.

“You’re home,” he hummed with his eyes closed, relaxing under your touch.

“I am,” you bent down to give him a quick kiss on his cheek, surprising him again. “I’m sorry that I came home late. Nelyn and I lost track of time as we hung out.”

“That’s okay,” Mark turned to smile at you. “There’s some leftovers in the fridge if you haven’t had dinner? Though, since you hung out with Nelyn, I’m sure that wouldn’t be the case.”

“You would be correct,” you laughed. “I’ve already eaten. Come on, it’s late. Let’s wash up and go to bed.”

Mark almost jumped up at your invitation but remembered the whole awkward ordeal that ensued during the week, in your en suite. “Why don’t you go ahead?” Mark suggested, offering you some space. “I’ll come up once you’ve finished in the bathroom.”

Deep down, you knew why he did that. But, you remembered your promise to yourself. Mark had shown you that he had been trying so it was only fair that you tried too. “Don’t be silly,” you said, grabbing his hands pulling him up, thankful that he didn’t fight you on it. “We can both wash up together. Come on, I’ll even let you have one of my face masks.”

Mark tried to remain calm. You could just be doing this because you were feeling extra nice though he hoped that it was more than that.

“Deal.”


	6. Surprise Galore

The morning came and Mark put his plan into action. Again, he was up before you and he quickly showered and dressed before heading into the kitchen to get to work. It wasn’t long until he heard you descending down the stairs. Feeling you inching closer, he hurried with the finishing touches of his project just as you grabbed his arm and turned him to face you.

“Good Morning,” he greeted as naturally as he could, though he could tell from the way that your eyebrow was raised that you didn’t buy it at all.

“Are you okay?” you asked confused.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’re never up before me but you’ve done it two days in a row now,” you stated before placing your hands against his forehead. “Are you sick?”

“I’m fine,” Mark chuckled as he removed your hand from his forehead, his skin burning from your touch. “Stop being silly or you’ll be late to work. Go and grab your coat, I’ll be right behind you.”

“You’re going to be late to work too if you don’t hurry.”

“I’m my own boss,” he said from behind you, giggling at your pout that he could see reflected in the mirror by your front door. “I can be late if I want.”

Turning to face him, you were just about to scold him for his teasing but he caught you off guard when he showed you what he had in his hands. Mark held a brown paper bag on his right and a keep cup on his left. You knew what was in them, considering that this was something that he used to do for you a long time ago.

“It’s just a muffin for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch,” Mark revealed nervously. “Of course, your coffee, just the way you like it.”

Just as nervous as he was, you slowly but surely reached for what he was offering, giving him a surprised smile. Mark returned your smile before grabbing the knob and opening the door for you. Just as you were about to walk out, you found yourself turning to face him again when softly called out your name.

Before you could say anything, Mark cupped your face and placed a gentle kiss on your lips. It was much too soft and much too quick for your liking, especially since it had been weeks since you last felt his lips on yours.

“Is that okay?” Mark asked, desperate for you not to reject him.

Unable to move your gaze away from his lips, you could only nod. You were far too stunned to speak. Mark flashed you his killer smile that you missed terribly and you almost melted into a puddle in his arms. Once he pulled back, you quickly pulled yourself together and reminded yourself of your reality.  _ Don’t get your hopes up _ , you told yourself. Saying your goodbyes, you quickly headed to the car and headed to work.

The morning came and went and before you knew it, you found yourself in the staff dining hall, with Mark’s prepared lunch in front of you. Too anxious, you opted to skip breakfast and were now hungry as hell. With trembling hands, you reached for the bag and pulled out its contents one by one. There was the muffin that would now be an afternoon snack followed by the sandwich that he made.

Gasping, you almost dropped the sandwich on the table. A post it note was attached to it, just as you thought it would. Grasping the note, you opened it, finding yourself staring at the picture of a skeleton waiting on a bench meme, with the words ‘me waiting for lunchtime’. A snort escaped you before you could hold it back and you eventually erupted into a fit of giggles.

But just as quick as the joy came, so did the sorrow.

Without realising, you had started crying — only noticing when a teardrop started to soak a spot on the post it note. Mark’s gesture was bittersweet, reminding you of old times and what could be again. Quickly wiping your tears away before anyone could see, you tucked the note straight into your wallet for safekeeping. 

Coming home to find Mark in the kitchen creating what you were sure was going to be another hearty home cooked meal was no longer a shock to you. A part of you was happy because it was starting to seem like it would become a regular occurrence. What did surprise you however, was the question he casually threw your way as you devoured your meal.

“Are you working late this Friday night?” Mark asked before shoving some lasagna in his mouth.

“Not that I’m aware of,” you answered thoughtfully. “Did you need something?”

Mark took a deep breath and placed his cutlery carefully on his plate. “I was wondering if you wanted to grab some dinner and catch a movie with me?” he asked nervously. “This new sushi place opened up downtown and that director Guy Ritchie that you always rave on about released a new movie so I—”

“I would love to,” you answered to the shock of both of you. Apparently, Mark wasn’t the only one with surprises that evening. You knew it was dangerous but you couldn’t find it in your heart to turn him down considering it had been so long since he’d taken you out on a date.

With an incredulous look on his face, Mark had to make sure he heard you right before he could celebrate. “Just so we’re both on the same page, you did say yes, right?” he asked in disbelief, before joining your laughter after you nodded in confirmation. “So, it’s a date then.”

_ It was — and you couldn’t wait. _


	7. Date Night

The whole week passed in a blur. Before you knew it, the end of the working week had arrived at your doorstep, making you anxious as hell. Your heart rate picked up, knowing that your husband could walk into your office at any minute. Or maybe, he wouldn’t show up at all.

It was ridiculous that you weren’t sure which outcome you wanted more.

The clock struck six and your anxiety soared through the roof. Taking a deep breath, you promised to give him an hour, nothing more and nothing less. Standing to walk over to the couch to make yourself more comfortable, you were halted in your tracks by the familiar knocking pattern on your office door.

“Come in,” you instructed, cursing the slight waver in your voice.

The door opened, revealing Mark who was sporting an apprehensive look on his features along with a tight smile. Instantly, you became anxious about something else entirely. _Did something happen?_

“What’s wrong?” you questioned, tone strong and firm. If others had been listening in, they might even say that you sounded almost concerned. Mark smiled a little, taking comfort from your words and the relief that washed over you was welcoming. That was until he spoke.

“Nothing really,” he sighed. “You just seemed surprised to see me. Almost like you weren’t expecting me to show up at all.”

_Unbelievable_. Mark recognised the tremble in your voice when you had asked him to come in. Of course he would. How could you forget that he could always read you like a book no matter how hard you tried to mask your feelings?

“It’s my fault really,” he stated, not waiting for you to reply. “I’ve let you down more than enough times, so I deserve it.”

“I—”

“You don’t have to force yourself,” Mark smiled sadly. “We don’t have to go out tonight. I can just take us home.”

Determined, you stood your ground. You had waited so long for this night to come and you would be damned if you were going to let anyone ruin it, including yourself. You would do anything in your power to turn this night around.

Reaching Mark in three long strides, you wrapped your arms around him and brought him as close to you as possible. Feeling him hesitate, you embraced him even tighter until he finally embraced you back. “Don’t do this,” you told him. “Don’t shoulder the burden on your own. You’re not the only one at fault, we both know this.”

“But—”

“No buts,” you pulled back and cupped his face, making him look at you. “The truth is that I’ve really been looking forward to tonight. So, please don’t let me ruin it. I don’t want to go home. _I want to go on this date with you_.”

“Are you sure?” Mark asked, seeking your confirmation one last time.

Instead of answering him, you stepped away from his grasp — much to the dismay of both of you — and grabbed your purse that was still on your desk. With a smile, you grabbed his hand and dragged him out of your office, not wanting to waste another second.

“God, that place was amazing,” you rubbed your belly as you and Mark walked out of the restaurant. “I ate so much, I feel like I’m about to burst.”

“The food _was_ amazing,” Mark agreed, rubbing his own belly like you were. “But, they need to find better servers, that’s for sure.”

“I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the way they served us?”

“Oh, come on. That guy was overly flirting with you the whole night.”

You halted in your tracks in disbelief with Mark stopping a few paces ahead of you after he finally noticed that you had stopped walking. “Is that why you were giving him death glares the whole time?” you smirked.

“He’s lucky that that’s all he got,” Mark scoffed. “I ought to go back there and give him a piece of my mind.”

Laughing, you walked up to Mark and linked his arms with yours to placate him. “Don’t be ridiculous,” you bit your lip to stop yourself from laughing as you dragged him towards the cinema complex. “I didn’t even notice. I was too busy staring at you.”

“You mean too busy staring at the food— _ow_!” Mark laughed as you continuously smacked him on the arm. “Stop hitting me or I’m not buying you a choc top.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” you gasped.

“Try me.”

With a pout, you stopped smacking him, choosing to also let go of his arm as you walked a few paces in front of him. Mark smiled, this was just like old times. Like nothing had ever changed between you. Exhaling to calm himself, he jogged to catch up to you, wrapping his arms around you and whispered his apologies as you both entered the complex. Mark dragged your body towards where the choc tops were, finally earning your forgiveness.

Mark would never admit it, but he couldn’t concentrate on the movie. You held his attention instead, and he spent the rest of the movie observing you. With fascination, he noticed how drawn you were to the story. From the twinkle in your eyes when you were amazed, to the way your eyes turned into crescents when you laughed at something that had happened.

Mark etched it all in his memory, locking it away with the others that he would never forget.

After the movie, you both headed home. The night had been perfect — or so he thought. The atmosphere changed as soon as you arrived home and started to get ready for bed, with you insisting that he get ready first. Without you.

Mark’s heart plummeted, but he agreed with you nonetheless. You didn’t miss the look of disappointment on his face, but you knew he would understand because little did he know, you had a surprise in store for him.

Once it was your turn to get ready, you headed straight into your walk in wardrobe and took a deep breath. Mark had done something wonderful for you and you wanted to return the favour. What you had in mind wasn’t as grand as his gesture but you hoped he would appreciate it just as much.

On the bed, Mark was sitting up, back leaning against the headboard as he mindlessly scrolled through his phone. He at least wanted to wait for you so that he could say goodnight. Mark heard the click of the light switch from the walk in and looked up just in time to see you padding across the room towards the en suite.

His jaw dropped and so did his phone. Paired with your sleep shorts, you were wearing a black shirt — _his_ black shirt in fact — and it was like he almost forgot how to breathe. A soft swear slipped from his lips and you smiled at the fact that your plan had worked.

“Are you trying to kill me?” Mark asked as you pulled the covers back and joined him in bed.

“What? Because I’m wearing your shirt?” you laughed. “I’m just trying to say thank you.”

“Is that it? Are you sure?”

“Yes,” you replied before leaning in to give him a chaste kiss goodnight and lying down on the bed.

“She’s trying to kill me,” Mark muttered to himself as he laid down beside you and you laughed.

“Go to sleep, Mark.”

“Goodnight _baby_,” Mark said as he adjusted your covers and tucked you in.

“Goodnight _love_,” you replied before either of you could overthink it.

Neither of you would admit it, but that was the best sleep you’ve had in a long time.


	8. The Morning After

Morning came and for the first time in a long time, you had woken up before Mark. Taking advantage of the opportunity that you had been presented, you slowly rubbed the sleep away from your eyes, careful not to wake his sleeping form across from you.

With light fingers, you brushed his hair away from his face and took in his features. Your eyes trailed from his eyelids down the length of his nose that was sitting between full cheeks. They wandered further south toward his cupid’s bow, taking in the sight of his soft parted lips. With a sigh, you gently cupped his cheek, using your thumb to relax his furrowed brows.

Grunting, Mark extended his arm to wrap around your waist, bringing you closer to him. “Morning,” he greeted in a deep, gravelly voice filled with sleep, his eyes remaining closed. 

“Morning,” you whispered back, withdrawing your hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s okay,” he answered as he rubbed his hand on his face to wake himself. Once he was fully awake, it finally registered to him how close your faces were to each other.

Gulping, he let his eyes roam around your beautiful face. From your long lashes to the blush that tinted your cheeks. To the soft, plump lips that were caught between your teeth.

“Hi,” he said breathlessly, completely enamoured by you.

“Hi, yourself,” you giggled, with Mark joining soon after. After spending a few more moments just soaking in each other’s presence, you were forced to finally make a move by the incessant grumbling of your stomach. “Come on, let’s get up and make breakfast.”

“Do we have to?” Mark whined like a baby, tightening his hold on you, leaving you with nowhere to go.

A brilliant idea then came to mind — something you knew Mark wouldn’t be able to resist. “If we get up now, I promise to make you some blueberry pancakes,” you offered.

This definitely caught Mark’s attention. “The fluffy ones that you always made?”

“The one and only.”

In a blink of an eye, Mark was up and off the bed, quickly grabbing himself a shirt before heading to the en suite. “Hurry up, woman,” he called out, knowing you would be stuck in bed, in complete awe of his movements — and he was right. “Those pancakes aren’t going to cook themselves.”

Shaking your head as you laughed, you quickly threw away the covers from your body before joining him in washing up.

As soon as you both reached the kitchen, you had delegated the tasks equally between yourselves; with you in charge of the pancakes and cutting up the fruit, whilst Mark was in charge of frying up some bacon and brewing some coffee. As you both went through the motions, your bodies couldn’t help but gravitate towards each other.

Every time Mark needed to grab something from your end of the kitchen bench, he made it a point to brush up against you. Whether he was reaching for the cooking oil, some mugs or stealing some fruit that you had already cut up, one part of his body was always touching yours. He was doing it on purpose — you were sure of it — and it was slowly driving you insane.

Well, as they always said,  _ ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’.  _

So, you purposely brushed up against him as well, every time you reached over to his end. Whether you were grabbing a plate, asking him to pass the sugar, or popping a piece of bacon in your mouth, you made sure to graze your fingers against his skin. You weren’t sure whether you were affecting him at all until you heard him groan behind you.

Try as he might, Mark couldn’t hold back any longer, reaching the end of his patience. With hesitant hands, he reached for you, wrapping his arms around your waist and holding you flush against his chest as he settled his chin on your shoulder.

Surprisingly, you melted into his arms instead of stiffening and Mark let out the breath that he didn’t know he was holding. Tired of fighting him and of fighting what you had always wanted, you let him hold you as you cooked, placing your free hand atop his.

Reluctantly, Mark had to let go as soon as you finished the pancakes, so that you could both settle by the breakfast table. Even at the table you were inseparable — with barely any space between you as you took pieces of pancake and fruit to feed each other.  _ Just like old times. _

“God, I’ve missed this,” Mark confessed, after taking the strawberry that you offered him. “And I’m not just talking about the pancakes.”

With a tilt of your head, you smiled at him. “I’ve missed it, too. And I’m just talking about the pancakes.”

“Ha,  _ fucking _ ha,” he lightly shoved you as you laughed at him.

“Okay, you big baby,” you relented. “I missed the other stuff, too.”

Wanting to stay in the happy bubble that you had both created, Mark accepted what you had said and decided to move on. So far, all the risks he had taken had paid off so he decided to take another one, by asking you a question that could detonate a ticking time bomb in your relationship. “So how is everything going?” he asked with a nervous scratch to the back of his neck. “What have you been up to?”

Just as he predicted, you were taken aback by his question. This was obvious as your eyes widened and your body straightened up. Luckily, just like him, you didn’t want to burst the bubble either. So, you answered his question.

“It’s been pretty good,” you smiled. “Busy, but good. I’ve been putting in some extra work, hoping that they would finally let me put out my photos at the next exhibition.”

Grabbing your hand, Mark squeezed it gently in reassurance. “I’m sure it won’t be long now,” he told you honestly. “I know I haven’t seen your work in awhile, but you were always very talented. I’d be surprised if they don’t put you in the next one.”

“Stop it,” you shook your head but couldn’t hide the smile on your face.

“What? I’m only telling the truth!”

“Okay, okay,” you bit your lip to try and suppress your grin. “I believe you. But, enough about me. How’s the company going, Mr. CEO?”

Mark took a deep breath before allowing his body to sag. “It’s been pretty stressful lately actually,” he answered with a sigh, feeling grateful when you brought your still joined hands to your lap as you rubbed soothing circles on the back of his hand.

“Has something happened?” you tilted your head in confusion.

“Nah, nothing like that,” Mark assured you. “There’s just a lot of work to be done at the moment. The biggest publishing house in the country is looking for someone to design their new head office. The competition is so fierce, so we’re just trying to be as prepared as we can be.”

“Mark, how  _ badly _ do you want this contract?”

“It’s highly sought after, so of course I want it really bad.”

“Then you’ll get it,” you answered in earnest. “Your determination knows no bounds. You haven’t not gotten what you wanted. This contract won’t be the first.”

With eyes closed, Mark allowed your words to take root in his heart. Laughing in disbelief, he couldn’t believe that your words would comfort him in more ways than one. You were right about one thing, Mark was nothing but determined and always got what he wanted. That gave him the hope he needed with the contract but most of all, with your marriage.

“What? Why are you laughing?”

Shaking his head, Mark brought your hand that he was still holding close to his lips so that he could kiss the back of it. “Nothing,” he smiled. “You just always knew how to make me feel better.”

“I got that from you,” you admitted before reluctantly relinquishing your hold on him and standing up. “Come on, let’s clean up. Maybe we can just veg out on the couch or something afterwards?”

“Sounds perfect to me.”


	9. Good News, Bad News

The new working week arrived unwelcome after the perfect weekend that you and Mark shared. Spending the majority of it wrapped in each other’s arms, neither of you could believe that it went by in a flash — you had both wanted to savour it, wanting to live in the bliss you had created as long as you possibly could.

To no one’s surprise, Mark was the more reluctant one, considering that it was already the third week of the last four that he had with you. While he believed that he was making some progress in saving your marriage, time was still going far too fast for his liking. As always, he would work with what he had, not wanting to let you go so easily.

Monday and Tuesday flew past as usual but there was a change in the air on Wednesday, you could feel it. Whether it was for better or worse, you weren’t sure yet, but if the past few days were anything to go by, you were ready to find out. You didn’t have to wait too long though, with your boss asking for you to come and see her before your morning break even hit.

“Don’t be alarmed,” your boss laughed at your apprehensive figure. “It’s good news.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, you relaxed in your seat across from her. “Oh, that’s good. What’s the news?”

“I hear that congratulations are in order,” she smiled proudly at you.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you mean.”

“We’re showcasing your work tomorrow at the exhibition.”

“Are you serious?!” you gaped at your boss excitedly.

“Yes, we had been planning and keeping it under wraps to surprise you,” she confirmed with a smile.

“This is amazing! Thank you so much.”

With a proud smile, your boss grabbed your hand. “You deserve this,” she assured you. “You’ve worked so hard. Now, go home. Buy a new dress and get ready for tomorrow.”

Not needing to be told twice, you quickly thanked her before heading back to your office to grab your purse. After sending a quick text to Mark advising that you would be making dinner tonight, you headed out to make sure you had everything you needed for the exhibition before heading home to get dinner sorted.

* * *

Sighing, Mark massaged his temple as he leaned back in his chair. His day had been filled with back to back meetings because of the project and this was the first moment he really had for himself. Rubbing the tiredness away from his eyes, Mark reached for his phone just as his secretary came to announce that the takeout food he’d ordered for the company dinner had arrived and had been set up in the conference room.

As he got up from his seat, he turned to his phone and spotted your text messages.

> **ladybird:** babe, i’m making dinner tonight  
**ladybird:** i hope you can make it

“Sir? Shall we?” Mark’s secretary garnered his attention once more.

“Actually, I’m skipping dinner,” Mark informed her as he reached for his suit jacket. “My wife’s making dinner at home so I’ll be going now. You guys enjoy it!”

“Your wife?” she asked, confused. “Aren’t you guys getting divorced?”

“Not if I can help it,” Mark called out before heading out of the building.

* * *

A big smile adorned his face as he crossed the threshold of your home. The smell of whatever it was you were making wafted through the air as he removed his coat and shoes and it smelled so good that he couldn’t help but quicken his movements. Hastily making his way to the kitchen, his smile widened further at the sight of you.

With fondness, Mark leaned on the wall and watched you in your element. The music blared in the background as you sang and swayed to the song whilst you were cooking. Eventually, he made his presence known by clapping after one of your renditions.

“Mark, you’re home,” you smiled warmly at him.

“I am,” Mark returned your smile before approaching and planting a kiss on your forehead. “Smells good. Are we celebrating something?”

“I’ll tell you all about it after dinner,” you replied excitedly. “Do you mind setting the table for me?”

“Not at all,” Mark answered and did as you requested.

Dinner was consumed rather quickly; not just because of the excitement from your impending announcement, but also because of how delicious your cooking was. Mark had missed it terribly, devouring them as fast as he could, as if it would disappear if he didn’t. Once you had taken the tub of ice cream out of the freezer for dessert, you decided to ask the question that would allude to your announcement.

“What are your plans tomorrow night?” you asked before shoving a spoonful of the cold chocolate goodness into your mouth.

Mark hummed, swallowing the spoonful he just consumed before licking his spoon clean. You took a deep breath to calm your nerves as he prepared to answer — completely oblivious to the ball of nerves that was sitting across from him.

“I have an important business deal to tend to,” Mark answered, unaware of your sudden fallen expression. “A bunch of architects are meeting up with that huge client I told you about at a dinner to offer their proposals. It’s going to be a bloodbath...”

Uncontrollably, you ended up tuning him out as you tried to process what had just occurred. Disbelief washed over you as Mark’s words started to sink in. Out of all the possible outcomes you tried to account for tonight, Mark saying that he had a work event was not one of them despite his previous track record of choosing work over you. With how the past few weeks had progressed, maybe you had tricked yourself into thinking that everything would be going right from now on.

Looking up at your husband who was just about to finish animatedly telling you about his proposal, you were just able to catch the question he directed at you. “Do you have any plans?”

Taking a few moments to collect yourself, you plastered on the biggest smile you could muster before telling him the truth. “As a matter of fact, I do.”

“Yeah?” Mark asked, still completely unaware of the change of mood with you.

“The gallery surprised me today by informing me that they had spent the past few months secretly organising my own exhibition. They’re finally showcasing my works and the opening night is tomorrow and... I was actually hoping to take you with me.”

Mark never thought it was possible to go through so many emotions in such a short amount of time but you had proved him wrong. From curiosity to elation. To confusion. To realisation. _To complete and utter devastation._ Mark couldn’t hide how torn he was about the whole situation so you decided to put him out of his misery.

“It’s okay,” you smiled sadly at him. “I informed you at the last minute so you don’t have to make it. You can miss tomorrow and just come and see it another time.”

Mark shook his head, especially after seeing the disappointment in your face. “Listen, let me try and sort something out,” he tried. “I promise—”

“Please, don’t try to make any more promises that you can’t keep,” you cut him off. “I’d rather accept that you can’t make it than to hope that you could, only to bet let down.” 

_Much like the state of this marriage._

Standing up, you cleared the table and washed the dishes as quickly as you could, leaving Mark to his own devices at the dinner table. Without a word, he sat there reflecting on how one thing could ruin all the good things that had happened in the past few weeks. As he tried to come up with a solution to put together the broken pieces of your marriage, you headed off to bed, leaving him there without saying a single word.

Mark was in deep trouble, without any sign of getting out of it.


	10. By Your Side

The next morning came as cold and quiet as the night left. Barely any words were exchanged, with Mark not knowing the right words to say and with you giving him the silent treatment. To his surprise, you still accepted the food he prepared for you and had allowed him to place a chaste kiss on your lips. Maybe, there was hope for him yet, if he could only figure out how to fix the mess that he was in.

Just as you were about to hop into your car, you turned to his still standing figure by the doorway. “Good luck on your business deal tonight,” you offered sincerely, before swiftly entering your car and driving off, not giving him a chance to reply to you.

Pained, Mark stood there wordlessly. Saddened by the fact that you hadn’t given him the chance to wish you well, he settled for sending you his regards through text.

> **dear husband:** i won’t wish you well on your exhibition tonight  
**dear husband:** because you don’t need it  
**dear husband:** you are amazing at what you do  
**dear husband:** i’m so glad that people will finally get to see you as i do  
**dear husband:** i love you

The morning was so busy that you didn’t even get a chance to check your phone until you were on your lunch break. As soon as you read his messages, you burst into tears and suddenly you were thankful that you had taken your break in the comforts of your office. You wanted to continue to be mad at him but you couldn’t, not when his words brought you the comfort that you desperately needed. Besides, this whole mess wasn’t entirely Mark’s fault, the timing was just never on your side.

_Timing was such a bitch._

Thankful for his gesture, you allowed yourself to smile for the first time that day.

* * *

Huffing, Mark finally arrived at the restaurant where the dinner with the client was being held, with just a minute to spare before it started. Thoughts of you flooded his mind as he took a moment to collect himself. Laughing, he couldn’t believe that he had been distracted by you the whole day — so much so that he even almost forgot his blueprints at the office and was no longer sure he could present them properly.

Before he could dwell on it any longer, the host of the restaurant stepped out of the private room to invite him and his competitors in. As his fellow architects started to approach the room, Mark came to the realisation that something was horribly  _ wrong _ . As he looked around him, he realised that every single one of the attendees had brought their spouses with them.  _ Everyone except for him. _

Unsure why that was the case, Mark didn’t really care for the reason. All he cared about was the fact that he was there and wasn’t by your side.

Walking into the great dining hall, every guest was introduced to the client and his wife by the host. Mark scoffed, disbelief enveloping him as he realised once more that he was the only one that arrived alone. Before he knew it, he was the last guest left to be introduced, and was now standing in front of his client.

“This is Mr. Tuan,” the host gestured towards him.

“Mr. and Mrs. Kim,” Mark offered his hand for a handshake. “My name is Mark and it is an honour to meet you.”

“The pleasure is ours,” Mrs. Kim returned the gesture. “Though, I must admit that I’m a little surprised. I was hoping that your wife would be accompanying you. I’m a massive fan of her photography work and had always wanted to meet her.”

Startled at the mention of your name and your profession, Mark was frozen on the spot, unable to say anything back.  _ Was fate mocking him? Why couldn’t he escape your presence even for just a second? _ With a gasp, understanding dawned on Mark; fate wasn’t mocking him, fate was showing him the answer.  _ You _ . 

Mark finally made his decision.

With an apologetic bow, Mark handed his blueprints over to his client. “My apologies, but I can’t stay,” he announced to the shock of everyone in the room. “My wife is actually holding her very first exhibition at the gallery tonight, so I just came to drop the plans off. I’m sorry that I’m unable to present it but I have to go.”

With a nod, Mark exited the restaurant and made his way to where he should’ve been.  _ Right by your side. _

* * *

With a sigh, you walked over to stand by the nearest table as you continued to nurse your third glass of wine. You had no plans to consume any alcohol tonight as you wanted to be completely present for your first ever exhibition, but the constant questions about Mark’s whereabouts were beginning to get tiresome. At one stage, it even seemed like they were more interested in your private life than your work, and that was when you had reached for your first glass.

“You might want to slow down there,” your work friend Hana teased as she stood by you.

“I’ll slow down when everyone finally stops asking me about Mark,” you replied before taking another sip of your wine.

“Well, about that…”

“What? What about it?” you asked worriedly.

With a sympathetic smile, Hana placed a gentle hand on your shoulder. “Boss lady is on the way here with a few potential investors and some media reps,” Hana explained with a sympathetic smile. “She said she would try her best to stir questions away from your love life, but you know what they’re like sometimes.”

Sighing, you polished off the rest of your wine before answering her. “They’ll ask anyway. It’s okay, Hana. I can handle it.”

“Good, because they’re almost here.”

Twenty agonising minutes later, you were ready to throw in the towel. With every passing second, your hands were itching to grab another wine glass from any of the many waiters walking by. Grateful for your boss for staving off the dreaded question as best she could, you sighed knowing that it was inevitable. Caught off guard, the question comes at you sooner than you thought.

“So, we couldn’t help but notice that your husband isn’t here,” one of the media representatives asked. “Where is Mark?”

Wiping the sweat from your palms on your dress, you swallowed the lump in your throat as you prepared to answer her. Before a single word could slip past your lips, a familiar voice from behind you filled the pregnant silence, instantly enveloping your body with warmth and comfort.

“I’m right here,” Mark announced his presence, wrapping his left arm around your shoulders and drawing you in so he could place a gentle kiss on your temple. “I got a little held up but I’m here. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. Now, if you’ll excuse us, I’d like a moment to congratulate my wife.”

With a respectful bow to your guests and your boss, Mark slid his hand down and grabbed yours to lead you away from the crowd.

“ _ You’re here _ ,” you whispered, eyes glued to your joined hands, trying to decipher if you were imagining it all in your head. “ _ You’re really here _ .”

“I am,” Mark smiled, as he weaved through the crowd in search of a quiet space where he could speak to you in private. “I meant what I said back there, I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”

Tugging his hand back as you halted in your tracks, he turned in confusion and you crashed your body against his as you engulfed him in your arms. Hugging him tighter when you felt his arms wrap around your body, you buried your face in his chest, planting a quick kiss to where his heart was. “Thank you for being here. I know what it might have cost you, but this truly means so much to me.”

“This was—  _ you are worth it _ ,” Mark whispered in your hair. “Now, why don’t you show me through  _ your _ exhibit?”

With a beaming smile, you planted another kiss on his cheek before leading the way.


	11. Easily Distracted

With a sigh, Mark crossed the threshold, grateful to be home. After a long and tiring day at work, he couldn’t wait to spend Friday night and the weekend with you. As he hung up his coat, he frowned as he spotted a nerf gun on the table by their walk way. Confusion turned to elation, once he read the note that was attached to it.

_dearest husband, welcome home. I’m hiding somewhere in the house with a nerf gun. Here is the other one. The loser buys dinner tonight. May the odds be ever in your favour. xoxo, wife._

Mark shook his head and laughed to himself as he put the note down and grabbed the nerf gun you left for him. _God, you were so adorable and he was so in love with you._ “I hope you’re ready,” he yelled out to announce that he was now aware of your plan.

“I’ve been practising all day so you better be,” you called back from somewhere in the house.

Smirking, Mark started to move, hand drawn out in front of him. Stealthily, he checked the living room, looking behind the couch and behind the curtains. Moving on to the kitchen, he’d barely taken two steps in before a nerf bullet whizzed past his ear. His infectious laugh boomed through your home as he quickly hid behind one of the walls, hopeful that he was out of your view.

“Close, but not close enough,” Mark taunted from his hiding spot.

“I wouldn’t be talking if I were you,” you warned him. “I know where you are but you don’t know where I am.”

“Actually, thanks to our fridge, I can see that you’re behind the couch.”

“Damn it.”

Laughing again, Mark turned to face the wall, preparing to peek his head out to find out exactly where you were. Taking a deep breath, he went for it. His head barely peered out from behind the wall before another bullet whizzed by, just narrowly missing him again. You really weren’t lying when you said you had been practising.

Mark realised that his only shot at winning was to take you head on. Moving away from the wall, he would have to run at you and dodge your bullets whilst praying that his bullets would reach you. It was a big risk but it was also his best chance. One of his six bullets was bound to get you.

On the count of three, Mark went for it again. Calming himself, Mark brought his arm out from behind the wall and shot out two bullets in your direction. Running out from behind the wall, he moved towards where he thought you would be only to realise that you weren’t there anymore. Cursing as he arrived behind the couch, another bullet whizzed past his head, making him turn to the direction of the source. As soon as his eyes landed on you, his jaw dropped to the floor and his arm that was holding the gun hung limply by his side.

Across from him you stood, in all your glory, in nothing but one of his white button ups, showcasing your gorgeous pins. With one hand resting on your hip and the other holding the gun that was directly pointed at him, Mark knew then that he _never_ had a chance of winning in the first place. Biting your lip, you pulled the trigger and the bullet hit him straight on his chest.

“I win!” you announced victoriously, throwing your nerf gun on one of the lounge chairs as you ran towards Mark and jumped onto him.

Staggering a few steps backwards in shock, Mark quickly recovered as he wrapped one arm around your waist whilst his other hand dropped the gun on the couch so he could grab your thigh, anchoring you to him. Joining you in laughter as you giggled heartily by his ear, Mark carefully walked toward the couch and sat down with you on his lap.

“I can’t believe I won,” you said in disbelief as you pulled back from nuzzling his neck. “I’ve never won against you before.”

“Please, you _cheated_,” Mark scoffed, pretending to be upset, even though he was far from it.

“_Excuse me?!_”

“As if I had a chance of winning against _this_,” he gestured to you on top of him.

“It’s not my fault that you’re easily distracted,” you countered.

“How could I not be when you’re literally wearing—”

Wanting to prove your point, you cupped his face in your hands and leaned in close to his face, immediately shutting him up. With your noses almost touching and his breath fanning your face, you realised how badly you wanted to kiss him. _So you did._

Tilting your head to the side, you closed your eyes and connected your lips to his. The feeling of his soft plump lips was something you had missed and it would seem that he missed your lips just as much as he kissed you back. Moving to deepen the kiss, Mark gripped your hips tight and pulled you closer to him. A gasp slipped from you and Mark took the opportunity to slip his tongue in your mouth melding it with yours.

Groaning, Mark moved his hands, weaving his left through your hair and placing the right by your nape, bringing you impossibly closer to him. Reacquainting his tongue with your mouth, Mark was at a loss at how long he had lasted without kissing you. So pliant against him, Mark kissed you harder, wanting to make up for all the times he spent without his lips attached to yours.

Before long, the lack of oxygen became too much to bear and you reluctantly pulled away from each other. “See, easily distracted,” you teased breathlessly as you rested your forehead against his.

Mark laughed and said, “Why don’t you distract me a few more times? Then, I’ll get us some pizza.”

“Sounds good to me,” you smiled widely before crashing your lips on his again.

With more of your kisses and some pizza on the horizon, Mark couldn’t think of a better way to end the week.

_Little did they know, it was the calm before the storm._


	12. One Last Week

Pulled from his slumber by the blaring sound of his alarm, Mark groaned as he attempted to reach out for his wretched phone so that he could shut the damn thing off. Curses joined the incessant noise as Mark found the device in question out of his grasp.

_ Why couldn’t he reach his damn phone? _

A sigh that slipped from your lips alerted him of your presence and also answered his question. The reason he was unable to grab his phone was because of your body that was surprisingly wrapped tightly around him. With no time to waste, Mark didn’t bother trying to figure out why or how your positions came to be. All he cared about was shutting his alarm off and then basking in the presence of your body against his. 

With great effort, Mark wrapped his right arm around you and anchored you to him. Taking a deep breath, he hauled your bodies closer to the edge of the bed, until his free arm could finally grab his phone. Once successful at turning the device off, Mark unceremoniously dropped the phone on the carpet floor, not wanting to see it for at least a few more hours.

“The fuck,” Mark cursed, rubbing his face in frustration. “I don’t even remember setting it…”

“I did it,” you groaned before burying your face in his chest. 

“Why?” he asked incredulously. “It’s Sunday. We’re not meant to be up till at least midday.”

“We have a big day today, remember? You’re coming with me to shop for a dress for Jinyoung’s wedding.”

“Babe, I understand that,” Mark whined like a baby. “But why would you set the alarm for 7am?! The shops don’t even open till 10am!”

“I wanted to squeeze in some cuddle time and some breakfast before we headed out,” you pouted and Mark couldn’t help but laugh.

“You really missed these cuddle sessions, huh?”

Feigning offence, you quickly unravelled your body from him, before he could realise what was happening. After noticing that your warmth had disappeared and that your body was no longer attached to his, Mark quickly tried to reach out for you but you had already slid over to the far side of the bed.

“Why did you move away?” Mark’s whine and pout were out in full force and you almost caved, but the thought of wanting to teach him a lesson prevailed.

“Well, apparently I was the only one who missed the cuddle sessions,” you replied, eyebrow raised accusingly.

Mark realised his mistake then and you knew it as soon as he threw you a sheepish smile. “Come on, babe. You know I didn’t mean it like that. You know I miss cuddling, too.”

“I’m sure,” you scoffed, before shifting on the bed, making it seem like you were about to get off.

As soon as Mark saw you shift, it was like someone had lit a fire right under his ass. Faster than you could imagine, he slid over and wrapped his arm around your waist and he dragged you back to the middle of the bed. A squeal escaped from your lips as he conveniently managed to situate himself between your legs, leaning on his hands as hovered above you.

The position was now unfamiliar territory for both of you, but you found that it wasn’t awkwardness that you were feeling, rather something akin to contentment. 

“You’re not going anywhere,” Mark breathed out, bravely switching to lean over you on his forearms so you were both chest to chest, faces inches from each other. 

“Oh, yeah?” you replied, breathless. Completely and utterly consumed by him. Your trembling hands — more from excitement than nerves — grazed up his skin, past his taut muscles and his chest. They gently cupped his cheeks before weaving themselves into his hair as you guided his face even closer to yours. “What are you gonna do about it?”

Instead of answering you with words, Mark did it through his actions. Closing the gap between your lips, he kissed you hard, not bothering with pleasantries. A deep groan that resonated in his chest elicited a moan from you and he took this opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth. Not giving a shit about who was in control, you gladly let him take the reigns and set the pace. All you could do was hang on and savour everything he was offering you.

Mark had already spent the majority of the weekend getting reacquainted with your lips but it still seemed like he couldn’t get enough.  _ Was it because he wanted to make up for lost time? Or was it because he knew that this could be one of the last kisses he would share with you? _

Whatever the case was, if Mark was being honest, it didn’t really matter to him. He never needed a reason to kiss you before and he certainly didn’t need one now.

All he knew was that he was going to keep kissing you,  _ as long as you let him _ .

A few hours later — after a long make out session and some breakfast — Mark was sitting on a cream chaise in the third clothing store you stopped by, in search of the perfect red dress to match with his red tie. The longer you took to find a dress, the longer Mark was starting to feel apprehensive. Every second he spent without you in his arms, the longer his negative thoughts seemed to plague him.

_ One week. _

Mark only had one last week to convince you that your marriage was worth saving. That it was worth staying with him for. That he was worth loving.

With his thirty days almost up, he wasn’t any closer to knowing whether you would choose to stay with him or choose to leave him. Yes, your relationship had progressed further than it had the past few years in such a short amount of time, but even with Mark putting in all of his efforts —  _ and then some _ — in trying to be better, he still managed to make mistakes that could have cost him everything.

Rubbing his face in frustration, Mark wished he could just come out and ask you if anything had changed; if he was moving in the right direction. He knew you would answer him honestly, but he also knew that it would bring up wounds that had only started to heal. That was something he wasn’t sure he was prepared to do, especially now that the two of you were experiencing incredible highs, because he knew that crashing down would hurt twice as much.

Just as Mark was about to descend into a fit of anxiety, a flicker of movement caught his attention, making him look up. As soon as his eyes landed on your figure, his breath hitched, jaw slacking at the image of you in front of him. Shifting from one foot to another, you looked expectantly back at him and he almost choked on air as he looked into your doe eyes.

“What do you think?” you bit your lip in anticipation of his answer. The choice had been your favourite; the red silk dress clung on to every part of your body, showing off your curves. “The straps are still a bit loose but they’d be able to fix it.”

“You look stunning,” Mark answered honestly, inwardly cursing at his hoarse voice, throat dry because of you.

“I think this is the one,” you smiled. “Unless…”

“No, this is the one,” he concurred with a smile of his own. He wasn’t sure how he was going to be able to keep his hands to himself throughout that night if you had this dress on but he was going to figure that out when he got there.

“Perfect, I’ll go and change so we can pay for it and then have lunch?”

Mark nodded before mumbling, “You’re perfect.”


	13. Bad Things Came In Threes

_ They always said that bad things came in threes. _

The first was Mark’s fault. As you took a sip of the coffee he had given you that morning, you stared off into the distance with a smile on your face as you remembered his antics from the night before.

_ After watching far too many videos of dessert makers on YouTube over the weekend, Mark had the brilliant idea of staging a ‘cake-off’. The notion was ridiculous to you but you weren’t one to back down from a challenge, so you had accepted; the loser would be designated dishwasher for the rest of the week. The competition took off in no time and you both scrambled to grab your ingredients. _

_ A mixture of sugar, flour and cream covered your kitchen benches, aprons and faces. Everything had been going well so far — even with the light banter thrown into the mix — but it all started to go downhill as you both reached for the last remaining egg in the carton. The two of you argued your cases for god knows how long before settling for a simple game of rock, paper, scissors in which you came out the winner. _

_ Smiling victoriously, you threw a wink over in his direction as you cracked the egg into your mixture. Soon, you realised that Mark was having none of it, as something sticky hit you squarely on the cheek. As it turned out, Mark had grabbed a handful of his mixture and had thrown it at you, which he clearly enjoyed doing, if the smirk on his face was anything to go by. _

_ The ‘cake-off’ was soon forgotten as a food fight ensued but it wasn’t long until you were both tangled up in each other’s arms, sharing kisses as Mark lifted you onto the counter— _

“Hey, have you got the photos ready?” Hana asked, breaking through your daydream and startling you just enough to make you spill coffee all over your laptop.

“Shit,” you cursed, realising that apart from your laptop short circuiting in your face, you also realised that you hadn’t saved any of your work. Scrambling to your feet, you quickly unplugged the damaged device and ran as fast as you could to the IT department in the gallery. 

Skidding to a halt by the office of their department, you quickly threw the door open and knelt once you had crossed the threshold to beg them for help. Luckily, they were able to issue you with a new laptop on the spot but had needed time to recover your untouched photos. However, it would seem that your luck had run out as they weren’t able to recover your pictures, which meant that you would need to head out for the rest of the day to take some new ones.

The second thing to go wrong was your fault.

In your haste to capture as many photos as you could for the next project, you had left your phone behind on your desk — which meant that you had missed every call and every message from your boss to remind you of a scheduled meeting that you had with some investors from your exhibition. It all came back to you as you spotted your boss with her arms crossed as soon as you entered your building and your heart sank at the prospect of losing some great opportunities. As you apologised profusely, your boss had then informed you that she was able to reschedule the meeting after citing that you had fallen ill. Thanking her endlessly, you promised to work harder and do better .

Entering your office, you headed straight for the couch and laid there face down, feeling sorry for yourself. The day was quickly turning out to be one of the worst days you’d had in awhile and it wasn’t even over yet; you still had to go home. Bad things came in threes and you were starting to worry that the third would come from Mark again, especially so close to the ending of the thirty day period.

With a sigh, you finally pushed yourself off the couch and headed off to grab your things, but not before shaking your head silly. The past few weeks had been a great time between you and Mark and you should not be thinking so negatively of him all the time. As you had said before, the impending divorce wasn’t just his fault, so it wasn’t fair to keep thinking that he would be the only one making mistakes.

Reaching your desk, you spotted your phone and went through all the messages and calls that you missed. Almost all of them were from your boss, a few from Hana and one missed call from Mark. Your heart couldn’t help but flutter at the thought that he would ring but you tried not to get ahead of yourself. Pressing down on his contact name, you dialled his number.

“Sorry I missed your call,” you said as soon as he answered. “I didn’t have my phone with me.”

“That’s okay,” you could hear the smile in Mark’s voice. “I was just calling to check up. How was your day?”

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” you sighed as you sat on your desk chair. 

“That bad, huh?” Mark chuckled and you couldn’t help but smile at the sound. “We don’t have to talk about it. I’ll prepare a few things at home to help relax you. Would that help?”

“That sounds amazing.”

“Alright, well I’m already on the way home,” Mark informed you. “I’ll see you soon?”

“I’ll be on the way soon,” you answered happily, already halfway out of your office.

As soon as you entered your home, you almost burst into tears. The pent up frustration you had within you dissipated in mere seconds as soon as the smell of your favourite pasta dish wafted through the air.  _ God, you truly didn’t deserve him _ _ . _

“Baby, is that you?” Mark called out from the kitchen, where you soon headed after hanging up your coat. 

“It’s me,” your voice was small as you replied and it dawned on your husband just how bad the day had gone for you.

“Yikes,” he commented, before walking over and cupping your face. “I mean, it sure looks like you but something is different. You’re missing this bright smile you always have on that brings out the dimples you have here—”

“Stop it,” you laughed a little, as you moved his poking finger away from your face.

“Well, would you look at that? There she is. I knew you were hiding in there somewhere.”

“I want a hug,” you pouted, and Mark raised an eyebrow. “Please.”

“Come here,” he obliged you, hugging tightly. “Let’s go, I have a surprise for you.”

“More than what you’re making?”

With a slight nod, Mark intertwined your hands as he led you up the stairs and into the main bathroom. In there waiting for you was your favourite shirt of his to wear along with your favourite bath essentials. After sitting you on the covered toilet seat, Mark made his way over to the bath and started to fill it.

As you sat, you watched him get everything that you needed ready for you. Mark did always know how to make you feel better when you were feeling the worst about yourself.  _ Would you be able to live without all of this? Would you be able to live without him? _

“Mark, you don’t have to do this,” you sighed. “Not anymore.”

To his credit, Mark didn’t flinch at your words though you were sure that they affected him. But just like he always did, he put your needs first. “I know we barely have a week left,” he turned to you with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “But, you’re still my wife until then. So please, let me do this while I still can.”

Standing up, you walked over to him and engulfed him in your arms. “I’m so sorry,” you whispered into his neck. 

“Don’t be,” Mark embraced you, rubbing your back soothingly. Pulling back, he planted a chaste kiss on your forehead before instructing you to get in the tub. “You don’t want it to get cold. I’ll be waiting downstairs with dinner, okay?”

The bath was not as relaxing as you thought it would be, as your negative thoughts continued to swirl in your mind. The night was going to end without a hitch, you could feel it; Mark was going to save the day and make it all better like he always did, which made you afraid of what the rest of the week had in store for you.

_ Only two bad things occurred that day and bad things came in threes. _


	14. The Beginning of the End

In front of the dresser you sat, sweeping your fingers through your curls as you tousled them to the side, exposing your neckline. As you put on your dangling diamond earrings, Mark’s reflection came into view and you could do nothing but drop your hands on your lap as you stared back at him. In a trance, you followed his movements as he approached, only coming back to yourself as you felt him stand right behind you.

Mark placed his hands on your exposed shoulders, gently massaging them to relax you. “You look  _ incredible _ ,” he said in awe, as he locked gazes with your reflection. “How did I get so lucky?”

With a loving smile, you placed your hand atop his and squeezed. “I’m just as lucky,” you replied back. “You look great in a tux.”

“Stop it,” Mark laughed and you couldn’t help but join him. Leaning down, his right arm released you and reached over to a box on your dresser that you hadn’t realised was there. Whispering in your ear, he said, “I got you something.”

Scooting over, Mark took a seat next to you and brought the box in front of you. As he opened it, you let out a gasp as you discovered the shimmering diamond pendant that was displayed inside it. 

“Mark, this is too much,” you looked up into his eyes, feeling his warmth surround you, from the love you could see from them. “I can’t accept this.”

“It’s a gift from a husband to his wife,” Mark shook his head lightly, having anticipated your response. “I’m your husband and you’re my wife.  _ Please _ , accept it.”  _ Accept me _ _ . _

With a slight nod, you agreed that you would; not that you could reject it even if you wanted to. Not when he was looking at you like you hung up the stars on his sky. In Mark’s world, that may very well be the case.

As endearing as he always was, you smiled as Mark’s trembling hands reached for the necklace. Once he had it safely in his hands, you turned your back to him, so he could put it on for you. After he had fastened the clasp, you turned back to face the mirror, adjusting your hair back in place as you ran your fingers over the jewel.

“It’s beautiful,” you said as you gazed at him through the mirror. 

“You’re beautiful,” Mark smiled and planted a kiss on your exposed shoulder. 

Facing him, you leaned forward and nuzzled your nose against his. Mark didn’t hesitate to place his hand on your nape to keep you from moving away as he connected your lips together.  _ God, he could spend the rest of his life kissing you _ _ . _ Tempted as he was to just spend the rest of the night exactly where he was, Mark knew that Jinyoung would kill him if they missed his wedding.

“We have to go,” Mark pulled away reluctantly, but planted another kiss on your lips just as quickly.

“Do we have to?” you whined, resting your forehead on his.

“You want Nelyn to kick your ass?”

“Yeah, okay. We should go.”

Laughing, Mark helped you up and assisted you with your coat. With joined hands, you both made your way to the wedding.

Hand in hand, you and Mark walked across the field and made your way towards the giant marquee where the reception was being held. Jinyoung and Nelyn’s ceremony had gone off without a hitch and you couldn’t be more happy for them. Even though the beginning of their marriage reminded you of the end of your own, you tried hard to push those thoughts aside. That night could very well be one of your last nights with your friends and with Mark, so you wanted to make sure that it ended on a good note.

“You okay?” Mark asked, knowing full well you were in your head again.

“I am,” you assured him as you gently squeezed his hand. “I promise, you’ll be the first to know if I’m not.”

Thankfully, Mark accepted your answer and didn’t push you any further.

The reception progressed as the ceremony did. The next hour was spent filling your bellies and filling your hearts as the dinner and speeches commenced. Mark stuck dutifully by your side, which you were grateful for. With great subtlety, he made sure that you were always aware of his presence. Whether it was through a kiss on the cheek or on your exposed shoulder, a squeeze on your hand or thigh, or by wrapping his arm around you.

As the night went on, you and Mark ended up separating from each other as you caught up with other friends, but he still made sure that you were aware of him through stolen glances from across the room. Even though you were appreciative of his efforts and had wanted to return the favour, you couldn’t as you found it hard to watch the people that Mark was catching up with.  _ Well, one of them at least. _

Bravely, you stole another glance in his direction and you really wished you listened to your brain instead of your heart. Mark was standing there with the biggest smile on his face, his booming laughter filling the room and breaking your heart.  _ Why? _ Because Mark’s happiness wasn’t directed at you, rather at someone else. Not just anybody, but his first love, Holly. 

Unable to look away, you stood and watched as Mark gifted Holly his happiness that should have been reserved just for you. Completely unaware of your heart shattering into little pieces, Mark continued to talk to her like you never existed, not even throwing you the comforting glances he had been giving all night. Luckily, a gentle touch on your shoulder broke your unwavering trance, saving you from yourself.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Jaebeom stated before turning your whole body around to face him instead. “It’s not what it looks like.”

“If you know what I’m thinking, then it is  _ exactly _ as it looks like,” you retorted.

Jaebeom couldn’t help but chuckle at your response because you were right. “Touche, but you know Mark would never.”

“I know,” you sighed. “I’m just being silly. This whole night… it’s starting to get to me.”

Jaebeom knew exactly what you were feeling, considering he was aware of your situation and the remaining time you had left. Wanting to distract you, he offered his hand and said, “Care for a dance?”

Thankful for Jaebeom’s attempt at a distraction, you cast one last look at Mark — who continued to remain oblivious of you — before accepting Jaebeom’s hand and following him to the dance floor. It took almost no time for his plan to work as you both compared dumb dance moves with the bride, groom and everyone else on the floor. The fifth song arrived — a slow one at that — and as Jaebeom held you at an appropriate distance while swaying you to the music, you knew that your distraction was about to come to an end. You were proven correct when Jaebeom asked you a question that you knew would take all your resolve to answer.

“So, tell me, how’s it all going?”

“Um… it’s going, that’s for sure,” you answered lamely, refusing to look at him as he laughed sarcastically. 

“Must I remind you that you only have a few days left till I see you both back in my office?”

“Yes! Because I still want to divorce him.”

“No, you don’t,” Jaebeom scoffed and you countered him once more. “Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t love Mark anymore.”

“I…”

Jaebeom scoffed again. “I thought so. Listen, the last thing I want to do is to tell you what to do about your own marriage, but I’d like to give you some advice, not as your lawyer but as your friend.”

“Go on, hit me with it.”

Continuing to sway you to the music, Jaebeom did as you asked. “No matter what your final decision is, I just want you to make sure that you get everything out of your chest and into the open. You can’t continue to keep it in because whether you stay with Mark or leave him, it would continue to haunt you both for the rest of your lives.”

Shaking your head, you tried to giggle as you kept your tears at bay. Of course, he was right and of course you knew that this was something you had to do, but whether you had the strength and courage to go through with it was a question that you weren’t sure you had an answer to.

Suddenly, Jaebeom stiffened in your hold. Throwing a confused look his way, he gestured for you to look behind you. Not that you needed to; your mind and body always were attuned to Mark’s presence as soon as he was in proximity.

“Do you mind if I cut in?” Mark asked Jaebeom who laughed before handing you over.

“You don’t need permission from me to dance with your wife,” Jaebeom answered before excusing himself to head back to the tables.

Looking to you in question, Mark held out his hand, asking for your approval for a dance. Forcing your current insecurities behind, you smiled warmly up at him before accepting his hand and allowing him to pull your body close to him. Grabbing your free hand, he placed it on his shoulder as his free hand settled on your lower back, anchoring you to him. 

With your gaze locked with his, your hand that was on his shoulder roamed freely on his collarbone before finding its place on his nape. As you sway with him to the music, you couldn’t help but feel the love that radiated from him as it surrounded you. There was no escape and it scared you to death. It wasn’t part of your plan to feel so strongly for him by the end of this cooling off period, knowing that it would get your hopes up so high and you were scared of falling, unsure if he would be there to catch you. 

In an instant, you turned away from him, effectively breaking the trance you were in. It was something you had to do considering you could feel the dam about to break as your tears pricked your eyes. Knowing Mark could read you like a book, you had to act fast, so you moved to lean your head on his shoulder and moved your arm to wrap around him in an embrace.

Sharp as ever, Mark still noticed your attempt at hiding how you were really feeling. “Are you alright?” Mark asked gently.

Swallowing back the curse that was fighting to escape, you bit your lip before turning to look at him again. “I’m just a little tired,” you lied and you knew that Mark could see right through you. 

“Do you want to go home?” he suggested.

_ No, you didn’t _ , knowing full well what was waiting for you at home. The fall was coming; there was no way of stopping it now. The question was whether you would choose to stall it or take a leap and face it head on.

_ You leapt. _

“I’d like to go home.  _ Please _ _ . _ ”

As soon as the words left your mouth, Mark knew that all his fears had been confirmed. When he saw Jaebeom accompanying you on the dance floor, he realised that something had happened. Something had  _ changed _ _ . _ Jaebeom wasn’t one to make a fool out of himself on the dance floor — he was a natural born dancer — but the fact that he was doing it with you meant that you had needed a distraction.

With keen eyes, he stood there watching you as he tried to decipher what could have happened since he was last with you. Wracking his brain, he ran through the events of the night in an attempt to discover where he had gone wrong. Was it something he said? Was it something he did?

A small voice piped up next to Mark, answering all of his questions. Visibly paling, he turned to the source of the voice, finding his ex-girlfriend and first love Holly, standing next to him. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he could barely hear the words that were coming out of her mouth as it all came crashing down on him. 

He screwed up.  _ Again _ . 

“Of course. Let’s go home,” he answered, prepared for his fate. Having used the time Jaebeom spent distracting you to prepare himself, he was ready for whatever you were going to throw at him.

Mark knew that this was his last chance and for that, he was prepared to fight.


	15. The Fall

As soon as Mark pulled into the driveway, you dashed out and headed towards the door, not even looking back to see if Mark had followed you. The drive home was filled with silence, bar the traffic and the soft music that was playing in the background. Neither of you dared to look at the other, the tension so thick that it was borderline  _ suffocating _ . 

Grasping the door knob like your life depended on it, you turned it and quickly walked in, not bothering to shut it or removing your shoes. Placing your hand on the wall of the hallway, you leaned on it, clinging on for dear life as air finally filled your lungs and you could breathe again. Stray tears streamed down your face and you hastily wiped them away, not wanting Mark to see them when he walked in. 

Hearing the door shut, you knew you were too late. He had seen you.

_ Devastated _ _ . _ That was one way to describe how Mark was feeling, as he watched you slip away from his fingers. As soon as you both left the wedding, you had been distant, not even bothering to hold his hand or walk with him on the way back to the car. As time went on, the distance between you only grew bigger, evident in the way you ran out of the car to get as far away from him as you could. 

Watching you closely, he was shattered at your breaking form in front of him. Shoulders slumped, body heaving as your body struggled to breathe in some air, Mark knew you were on the verge of a breakdown and his fears were confirmed when he saw you wipe tears away from your face. Shutting the door with the back of his foot, he made his way towards you.

“What’s wrong?” Mark asked, even though he knew the chances of you answering him were close to none. You had refused to answer, just as he predicted. Moving to place his hand on your back to rub soothingly, his eyes widened in shock as you flinched and moved away from him, heading towards the living room.

Confused, you shook your head vehemently, not wanting to answer his question until you were sure — sure of what you had wanted. Whether you would choose to stay with him or to leave him. Needing some time, you shut your eyes tight and paced the room, trying to weigh in your options. However, fate wasn’t on your side this time; it wasn’t going to let you walk away so easily.

Mark spoke first, and you knew that as soon his words left his mouth, there would be no turning back. “Look, if this is about Holly, I’m sorry,” his trembling voice cut through your thoughts. “I didn’t realise I was spending so much time catching up with her and—”

_ Damn it _ _ .  _ He had done it. There was definitely no escape now.

“God,  _ if only _ this was about Holly,” you scoffed, tone bitter. “If only our problem was as small as her. If only we could place the blame of our failing marriage on her. If only it were that  _ easy _ .”

“Our marriage  _ isn’t _ failing,” Mark said defiantly, not wanting your thoughts to continue spiralling down in that direction. 

“Are you kidding me?!” you asked incredulously as you turned to face him. “Look at us! We are on the verge of divorcing!”

“We don’t have to divorce,” Mark stood his ground. He was determined and he wasn’t going to give up. Not now. “The past few weeks have been incredible. We have—”

“What about the past few years?” you challenged him. Jaebeom’s advice was running circles in your mind. You needed to confront this.

“There was nothing wrong,” he replied, exasperated. Rubbing his face, he wished he could come up with a way to make you understand.

“Of course, you would say that!”

“What was it then? Why don’t you tell me?”

“There were so many things wrong—”

“Then why didn’t you tell me—”

“Why do I have to tell you—”

“Just tell me!” Mark yelled, louder than he ever had in his life, effectively shutting you up. Only silence followed; the room filled with thick tension.

This was it.

You had both reached breaking point.

_ Finally _ _ . _

“ _ When did you fall out of love with me _ ?” you asked, voice barely a whisper, but Mark heard you. Loud and as clear as day.

“What?” he asked, hesitant. 

“When did you fall out of love with me?” you repeated, voice quivering.

“I love you,” Mark answered firmly; strongly. Void of any doubt. “ _ More than life itself _ . I never stopped and I don’t plan on stopping. Everyday I fall more and more in love with you and right now, as you stand in front of me, _ I have never been more in love with you _ .”

Closing your eyes, you allowed his words — his  _ true _ words — to surround you; to seep into your heart. It was freeing; being able to voice out what you were most concerned about and knowing his answer was the truth, and that it would always be. But you couldn’t rest yet, you’d barely scratched the surface.

“Then, why?” you asked. “The past few years have been the loneliest, of my entire life. I have never felt more alone — more  _ neglected _ . I—”

“I’m sorry,” Mark apologised, sincerely. “Yes, my career took off and I got busy and I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention to ever make you feel neglected or alone. I was always in your heart  _ like you were in mine _ .”

“It didn’t feel that way. You were so distant and you were getting further and further away from me. You were leaving me behind…”

“I could never,” he vowed. “I  _ would _ never.  _ You are my life _ . I have always loved you. If anyone should feel left behind, it’s me.”

“What?”

Something had shifted. It was quick and subtle, but the change was there. Suddenly, Mark was the one who stood broken and shattered and you were the one scrambling to figure out where you had gone wrong.  _ What did you say? What did you do? _

_ How could you fix it? _

“Why?” Mark asked the same question you did. “ _ Why did you give up on me? On us? _ ”

“I d-didn’t—”

“You wanted a divorce, for fuck’s sake,” Mark laughed humourlessly as he fought to hold his tears back. “If that isn’t the epitome of giving up, then I don’t know what is.”

“You left me no choice,” you argued back. “I was feeling—”

“I didn’t know what the hell you were feeling because you never told me,” Mark sobbed out. “You just— you stopped communicating with me.  _ You stopped trying _ , long before you asked for a divorce.”

Never had you seen Mark look like this before. Hair sticking out in all sorts of directions from the way he was pulling at it as you argued, face crumpled as he cried, his body shaking from all the tension that he was finally letting out. He was breaking right in front of you and you so badly wanted to reach out and comfort him but you couldn’t. Not when you were the cause of it.

He was right; of course he was. Just like Nelyn was. 

You had to tell him, just like you told her. Especially since the tides had changed. The decision was made for you as soon as it did. As soon as he challenged you. 

The dam broke. It was your turn now.

“I was scared,” you admitted through your sobs. “You were so far away from me and I was scared that I wasn’t enough to bring you back. I was scared that I was losing you and that you didn’t love me anymore.”

In three long strides, Mark was in front of you, cupping your face as he wiped away the tears that continued to stream down your face. Every time he held you felt like a dream and you wanted to hang on, so you did, hands grasping on to his wrists.

“I’m so sorry,” you apologised, just like he did. “I love you so much. I don’t— I don’t want to give up on us.”

Mark released the breath that he didn’t know he was holding, feeling like the burden had finally been lifted off of his shoulders. “Then don’t.”

The choice was easy. It always was when it came to Mark. 

“ _ I won’t _ .”

“I want to hear you say it,” he pleaded and you weren’t going to turn him down. 

“Mark, I  _ don’t _ want a divorce.”

_ Finally _ _ . _


	16. Home [M]

Relief washed through him in waves, making him laugh out loud. Mark looked at you in awe before crashing your lips together in a desperate kiss. Matching his fervour, the kisses became urgent and were filled with clashing teeth. The intensity knocked the breath out of you and you could only hang on to him as you started to feel like the floor was being literally pulled from underneath you. 

Pulling your hips, Mark anchored you to his body as he walked towards the nearest wall. Shoving you hard against the surface, the impact forced you to pull away and Mark didn’t waste any time attaching his lips back onto your skin. In the juncture of your neck he settled; kissing, sucking and nipping. Firmly, he pinned you in place as he rolled his hips to your centre; a loud sinful moan slipping from your lips as you felt the evidence of his erection tight against his pants.

Far too hot and far too fast, you knew you had to do something to stop even though your whole body was screaming how much you wanted him. You could feel him everywhere and it was slowly driving you deliciously insane, but after everything that had happened, and after all the times that you had waited, this wasn’t how you wanted to be intimate with him.

Mustering all of your strength, you managed to lift his head from your neck. Like a man possessed, Mark wasn’t having it. His head descended again as he aimed for your lips but you placed your hand firmly against his chest, slightly pushing, and the change in direction surprised him. Feeling him pull away, you settled your left hand by his nape, securing him in place as your right hand rests atop his chest where his heart laid underneath.

“Mark, I love you,” you declared. Firmly. Lovingly.  _ Desperately _ _ . _

“With all that I am, I love you,” Mark replied back just as fierce.

The hand that was settled on his nape slid to the front to cup his cheek. “I want you to  _ make love to me _ ,” you pleaded, voice dripping with need.

“ _ Fuck _ , it would be my pleasure,” Mark granted before connecting your lips again. His kisses were still hungry and filled with desire, but he took his time, slowing it down to reassure you that he would give you what you wanted. 

With his hands sliding down from your hips, they made a quick stop by your bottom to squeeze your flesh before they settled behind your thighs. Taking his cue, you jumped into his arms without detaching your lips away from him and Mark shoved you against the wall again to readjust his grip before making his way up the stairs and into your bedroom. 

Shutting the door with his foot once he crossed the threshold, he set you down on the floor gently and reluctantly pulled away from your lips. Quickly savouring the movement, Mark let a swear slip from his mouth before quickly ridding himself of his dress shirt; choosing to just untuck the material and pull it over his head to toss to another side of the room instead of unbuttoning it. With his undershirt quickly following, he quickly reached for you again, weaving his hands through your tresses as he kissed you.

Moaning into the kiss, your fingertips trailed the expanse of his exposed skin; from his Adonis belt to his snail trail, up the grooves of his toned abdomen, quickly stopping to tease his nipples before your hands locked by his nape so you could pull him further into the kiss. A sound from deep inside Mark’s chest sent a fresh wave of arousal straight down to your core and you tilted your head to deepen the kiss.

Mark’s fingers found the hem of your dress and they skimmed your skin as he slowly pulled the silk material to rid you of it. Reluctantly, you parted from his lips so he could completely remove the barely there dress and as he tossed it to where his shirts were, you moved to unclasp your strapless lace bra so it could join the growing pile of discarded clothing. Biting your lip, you walked backwards until the back of your knees hit the edge of the bed. With eyes filled with desire, Mark watched as you scooted backwards to the middle of the bed and quickly removed the rest of his clothing.

His cock sprung free from its confines and you gasped, slowly settling on the mattress as you watched your husband crawl on the bed towards you. Fitting himself between your legs, he sat on his knees as he splayed his hands on your stomach. A groan resonated from deep within Mark’s chest as he reveled at the feeling of your skin beneath his fingertips.

It had been many moons since he was able to touch you this way and he finally understood why you had wanted to be intimate like this. Demanding hands caressed every inch of you, everywhere he could reach, but he craved more. Shifting, he settled snugly between your legs, hovering above you, before leaning down to kiss you lasciviously. 

Wanton moans filled his ears, further enticing him as his greedy mouth followed the path his hands were on, until his head was buried deep between your legs. Ravenous, Mark lapped at your core like a man starved, even as you were writhing and arching off of the mattress. Wanting you to reach complete and utter bliss, Mark’s fingers soon joined his mouth and as three of his digits thrust in and out of your pulsating walls, you were thrown off the edge as your orgasm burned through your body.

The intensity of your ecstasy consumed you and continued to do so as Mark’s fingers refused to falter, even as his mouth indulged in tasting your slightly sweaty skin. It was like he couldn’t get enough, and in truth he really couldn’t, after being deprived of you for so long. He tongued at your glowing skin until he reached your breasts, but he was unable to savour them as you reached for him and joined your lips together once more.

“Mark,” you breathed. “ _ I need you _ .”

“I’m here, baby,” Mark answered, lips lingering above yours. Slowly, he retracted his moist fingers from your pulsing walls and smirked as you whined from the loss of his touch.

“ _ Please _ ,” you said desperately, moving to lock your legs behind his back.

Mark shifted, kissing your lips fervently as he aligned himself at your entrance. “ _ I love you _ ,” he declared as the tip of his cock pushed through your entrance. 

You moaned his name, welcoming the intrusion. “ _ I love you _ ,” you vowed, back arching as Mark continued to push through your stretching walls.

Mark groaned into the juncture of your neck, sucking harshly until he was fully sheathed inside you, with nowhere left to go. Allowing you a few moments to adjust to his length, he repeated praises against your skin as he waited for your whimpers of pain to turn into ones of pleasure. Weaving your hands through his hair, you littered his cheek with kisses before giving him a sinful moan by his ear, to let him know that you were ready for him. 

A deep growl resonated from him as he started to push himself in and out of your pulsating walls. Pulling back from your neck, Mark saw the look of need in your eyes and he responded by pushing harder into you. Keeping the pace slow and steady, he drove harshly into you, his hips brushing against your clit, sending your eyes rolling back.

Mark sure felt like he was in heaven as he watched your squirming form underneath him. With your pleasure mounting for the second time that night, you tightened around him, sending a curse falling from his lips. After a gentle squeeze of your hips, Mark’s hands slid up your body and up your arms until his hands met yours. Interlocking your fingers together, Mark raised both your hands above your head, driving himself harder into you as your cries of pleasure became louder. Angling his hips better, Mark finally found the spot that would have you seeing stars.

A scream of his name escaped from deep within you. Mark filled you up and repeatedly slammed himself into the one place that left you gasping. Again, your body arched towards his and he knew that you were close to breaking point. Releasing your hands, Mark gathered you closer to him as he pushed harder into you, urged by your moans.

With his left arm wrapping around your body, Mark anchored you to him as he cupped your cheek with his free hand. Your eyes fluttered open and seeing Mark’s hair sticking to his sweaty forehead from all the effort he was exerting almost became your undoing, but his gaze filled with yearning kept you just by the edge for a moment longer.

“ _ I love you _ ,” you reassured him, making him smile lovingly at you.

“ _ I love you _ ,” Mark sealed his promise with a particularly harsh push into your spot and you finally teetered off the edge, coming undone with a final cry of his name. 

Mark’s hips started to falter as you quivered beneath him. Dragging your nails across his back as you rode your high, the feeling had Mark coming after you, releasing with a curse before descending to join your lips together once more. Pulling back for air, he was almost in disbelief at everything that had just transpired until he met your mesmerising smile.

Carefully removing himself from you, he collapsed on the bed and reached for you. Allowing him to drape you over his body, you hummed in content as you traced over the mole on his chest. Planting a soft kiss on it, you rest your chin on his chest to look up at him. Mark lifted his head, smiling as he cupped your cheek.

“Hi,” he whispered tiredly.

“Hi, yourself,” you giggled before shifting to cuddle into him.

“I don’t want this to be a dream,” he confessed nervously as his hand ran up and down your spine.

“I don’t want it to be one either,” you sighed before looking at him. Resting your hand on his nape, you pulled him in for a chaste kiss and said, “I’m done fighting what I want.”

“What do you want?”

“To be with you,  _ forever _ .”

Mark chuckled and was the one to kiss you this time. “Would you look at that? That’s what I want, too. So, I’m calling Jaebeom first thing tomorrow morning to tell him to shred those goddamn divorce papers.”

“Actually, he’s already done that,” you confessed and was met with Mark’s confused gaze. “Jaebeom shredded them as soon as we left his office.”

“Why would he do that?” Mark asked, growing more and more confused by the second.

“ _ I never wanted to divorce you Mark _ ,” you finally revealed the whole truth. “I just didn’t know what else to do. Jaebeom knew that, so when we arrived in his office that day—”

“He came up with the thirty day period for us to get our act together,” Mark finished for you, remembering the same conversation he had with Jaebeom. “I’m sorry it took—”

Placing your index finger against his lips, you silenced his apology. “No more apologies, Mark,” you smiled at him. “I don’t want to be brought down by the past anymore. I just want to focus on us now, and on our future.”

“I like the sound of that,” Mark beamed and shifted to settle between your legs once more as he kissed you again. And again. And again.

The rest of the night was spent tangled beneath the messy sheets as you and Mark made up for the times that you had lost. Deep down, you both knew that it wasn’t going to be the last time that you would hit a rough patch, but you certainly knew that it was the last time that you would doubt the love you had for each other.

As the dawn of the new day came, you and Mark couldn’t be happier that you have found your way back home to each other.


	17. Epilogue

With a smug smirk on his face, Jaebeom sat in his office chair relaxed, with his back leaning on the plush material. He was sporting the biggest shit-eating grin you had ever seen and you couldn’t wait to wipe it off of him. So you did, grabbing the nearest cushion on the couch and throwing it squarely at his face.

“Easy, babe,” Mark chuckled from your side, as he grabbed your hand to appease you. “Though I must say, your aim is definitely improving.” 

“When is this going to be over?” you groaned before burying your face in your hands.

“Oh, you are going to see this face for the rest of your life,” Jaebeom declared through his laughter. “Putting up with this can be your way of saying ‘ _ thank you _ ’ for saving your marriage.”

“I’m going to kill him.”

“No, you’re not,” Mark laughed before wrapping his arms around you to keep you in place.

“But, he’s never going to stop,” you whined adorably and  _ God, did Mark miss it. _

“Look, we both know he’s going to keep this up for a while and we are just going to have to accept that or I guess we can just uninvite him from when we renew our vows and—”

“Wait, you guys are renewing your vows?” Jaebeom asked in surprise, happy that his two friends were back on track with their love for each other. “Back in Hawaii?”

You were about to reply with a ‘ _ yes _ ’ but you saw that Mark shook his head. “No?” you asked in confusion.

“No,” Mark confirmed. “Not in Hawaii.”

“Then where?”

Mark then turned to Jaebeom and asked, “Do you have that paperwork from last week?”

Jaebeom searched hard in his memory. “The one about the registry of land—”

“That one. Give it to me.”

With curious eyes, you watched your husband stand and walk over to where Jaebeom was to grab a piece of paper from him. Mark walked back and handed you the paper once he sat down. With trembling fingers, you opened the paper and read the contents of it.

“You bought a building?” you asked confused.

Mark shook his head and smiled warmly at you. “I bought land,” he clarified. “I’ve designed… the property, I guess you can call it.”

“What are you building? What does this have to do with our vows?”

With a fond smile, Mark reached for your hands. “Remember when you told me that you were finally having your first exhibition?” he asked and you nodded in confirmation. “I couldn’t believe that it had taken them so long to realise how amazing your work was and I was afraid of how much longer it was going to take for your second exhibition, so I…”

“You… what?”

“I designed your very own studio that night and I’m currently in the process of building it.”

Just when you thought you couldn’t love him any more, Mark continued to prove you wrong. “You are building me a studio of my own?” you asked with a wavering voice paired with glassy eyes.

Mark cupped your face. “I am and I was hoping we could renew our vows—”

“Yes,” you interrupted him. “This is amazing and perfect and I love you so much.”

Grabbing his shirt in your fists, you pulled him closer to you and kissed him like your life depended on it; and you knew it did. Mark was a huge part of your life and you knew that he was always going to be because you would always love him.

Usually, Jaebeom would have gagged already at the sight in front of him. Not that time though, he was happy to let you and Mark bask in your love a little bit longer; glad that the pair of you have come out of it stronger than ever. After a few more moments, when neither you or Mark showed signs of stopping, Jaebeom reached for the unnecessary contract you and Mark signed when you hired him as your lawyer from his desk and fed it to his shredder. 

The loud crunching noise finally separated you and Mark, bringing you back to your senses. Once you both realised you were still in Jaebeom’s office, laughter broke out and you buried your head in Mark’s neck bashfully.

“I’m sorry, man,” Mark apologised to Jaebeom smugly.

“Don’t be,” Jaebeom waved him off. “I’m glad to see my two best friends happy in love again.”

Lifting your head from the crook of Mark’s neck, you turned to face your friend with a soft smile. “Thank you, Jaebeom,” you told him gratefully. “Thank you for everything you have done for us.”

“We mean it,” Mark added. “If it wasn’t for you, the outcome could have been very different.”

“That’s not true,” Jaebeom smiled and shook his head. “The love you both have for each other is the  _ real _ deal. It’s going to withstand whatever test life decides to throw at it.”

Mark grasped your hand and when you turned to see and feel the love he had for you, you knew that Jaebeom was right. The last thirty days was the last time you were going to doubt your love for each other, and you couldn’t wait for what the future would bring.

* * *

After months of reconciliation and preparation, the day had finally arrived — the day you and Mark had been longing for — the day the pair of you were going to renew your vows and reaffirm your love for each other.

Standing by the mirror, you smoothed down your floor length blush dress and carefully adjusted its sleeves to make sure everything was as you wanted. With a smile, your fingers reached for the diamond necklace that Mark had gifted you months prior and you couldn’t help but reminisce how far the two of you had gone.

You had spent the past few months making up for lost time and doing the things that you had used to do. On top of that, the pair of you had started attending marriage counselling, not in the hopes of going back to where you were, but in hopes of making your relationship stronger. Admittedly, it wasn’t always perfect sailing with the odd argument here and there but the difference was that this time, you were able to communicate with each other and work through it together and you had never been happier.

“He’s here,” Nelyn walked into the back office, where you were getting ready. “You look beautiful… and  _ happy _ .”

“I am,” you told her honestly. “Thank you for helping me come to my senses.”

“You would’ve done the same for me,” she smiled before handing you the card where your vows were written down. “Are you ready for this, Mrs. Tuan?”

You quickly wiped the stray tear that slipped down your cheek.  _ Thank God for waterproof makeup. _

“I’m ready.”

Shifting from one foot to another, Mark nervously waited by the makeshift wedding arch in your studio, for you to stand next to him. Funnily enough, he was sure that he was more nervous now than he was five years ago when he first said these promises to you. After all, with everything that the two of you had gone through, he felt the weight of his words more so now than he did back then.

“Everything is going to be fine,” Jaebeom clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t be so nervous.”

Mark chuckled, “I don’t even know why I am. It’s not like she would run away or anything like that.”

“She definitely wouldn’t,” Jaebeom confirmed before handing Mark his own card that contained his vows. “Here, I wrote it for you. Just in case.”

Before Mark could thank Jaebeom, he caught Nelyn’s form from the corner of his eye. She quickly signalled that you were ready and your friends quickly gathered around. As soon as the familiar tune of Sara Bareilles’ ‘I Choose You’ filled the room, Mark stood straighter then, knowing you were about to appear before him, just like you did all those years ago.

And appear you did.

_ God, you were so beautiful. _ You always were, but it was always like he was seeing you again for the first time. Not once had you failed in taking his breath away and it was a feeling he wouldn’t mind getting used to for the rest of his life.

“Hi,” you greeted with a smile, tears threatening to break through.

“Hi,” Mark beat you to it, laughing as he wiped his tears away. He set you off and you lightly cursed as you wiped your own tears away. “You look… I don’t even have a good enough word in my vocabulary to describe how good you look.”

“Stop it,” you playfully shoved him. “Why are you crying? You’re making me cry.”

“They’re happy tears, babe,” Mark told you. “ _ I am so incredibly happy right now. _ ”

You grabbed his hands and squeezed tight. “Me, too.”

Leaning in, Mark placed a chaste kiss on your lips before reluctantly pulling away and reaching for his card and you reached for yours. “Are you ready for this?”

Once you nodded to let him know that you were, Mark took a deep breath and looked at the card in his hand. Hesitating for a moment, he shook his head and threw the card over his shoulder. Mark could see the alarm in your eyes so he quickly took your hand to ground you with him. 

“I don’t need the cards to remind me of what I promised you,” Mark explained. “I couldn’t forget them even if I wanted to. They are forever engraved in my mind and in my heart.

“I know what you mean,” you replied in understanding and proceeded to replicate his actions by throwing your card away too. You stepped closer towards him, and as you felt him pull you closer with his hands on your hips, you cupped his face and said,

“I vow to help you love life, to always hold you with tenderness and to have the patience that love demands. To speak when words are needed and to share the silence when they are not. To live within the warmth of your heart and always call it home.” 

With tears streaming down his face, Mark closed his eyes and allowed your spoken words — your  _ true _ words — to make their way home, into the deepest part of his heart. Even though you had reconciled, he had been waiting to hear those words; to hear that you were finally back home with him. As your fingers furiously wiped against his cheeks, Mark leaned his forehead on yours and could feel your own tears wet his cheeks.

With a shaky breath he said,

“I vow to fiercely love you in all your forms, now and forever. I promise to never forget that this is a once in a lifetime love. And to always know in the deepest part of my soul that no matter what changes might carry us apart, we will always find a way back to each other.”

With that, Mark lunged forward and immediately captured your awaiting lips, to seal your fates together, just like he had done so before. 

You were his once in a lifetime love. His heart was your home. 

Until the end of time.


End file.
